New Delhi. Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh questioned the central government’s stance on E20 petrol, saying that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s reply in Parliament on July 29th raised more questions than it answered. He said that while the government is claiming E20 is completely safe, consumer experiences and various technical documents raise significant concerns.
Jairam Ramesh wrote on the social media platform X on Monday that Nitin Gadkari had said in Parliament that E20 fuel has been implemented after years of scientific testing and there is no evidence of widespread damage to vehicles due to it, but for the past several months, vehicle owners and mechanics across the country have been continuously raising complaints like reduction in mileage, decline in engine performance, compatibility of E20 for vehicles manufactured before 2023, cold-start problem, rapid engine wear, clogging of fuel injectors, rusting of fuel lines and cracking of rubber parts.
He said that in an independent survey conducted in June 2026 on more than 44 thousand owners of petrol vehicles manufactured before 2023, a large number of people have reported feeling adverse effects on their vehicles after the implementation of E20.
He claimed that in September 2025, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had completely dismissed complaints about biofuels harming vehicles. Despite this, a July 2026 Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) report and the NITI Aayog’s 2021 Ethanol Policy Roadmap mention some technical impacts associated with the use of E20. These documents mention accelerated wear of rubber parts in vehicles designed for E10, corrosion of fuel tanks and other metal parts, and reduced fuel efficiency in some vehicle categories.
Jairam said there is a growing public demand for accountability and transparency regarding E20. The government should make public all available scientific studies and data on this subject so that consumer concerns can be addressed on a factual basis.