Rahul Gandhi claims fraud being committed in the name of E20 petrol

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi government on Saturday, November 7, 2026, over the implementation of E20 petrol. He alleged that a major fraud is being committed in the country in the name of E20 petrol and that petroleum companies are blending more ethanol than the prescribed limit. Rahul Gandhi raised this issue by sharing a post in Hindi on the social media platform X, in which he wrote, “E20 has now become 420 - petrol is being stolen from the public's cars!” Here, he referred to Section 420 of the former Indian Penal Code, which relates to cheating.

Rahul Gandhi stated that while the Central Government claims there is 20% ethanol in petrol, the reality is different. Citing the testing results of samples collected by the Karnataka government, he said that petrol samples were taken from 7 districts and tested in an accredited lab. The results of this investigation are shocking, as ethanol levels were found to be higher than 20% in 11 out of a total of 14 samples. According to Rahul Gandhi's claim, 31.2% ethanol was found in Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and 30.5% in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

He further added that this involves not only government companies but private companies as well. Naming companies such as IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara, and Shell, he said that whether government or private, all companies have violated the prescribed limit. Rahul Gandhi made a serious allegation that the laboratories of these companies did not even mention the details of the ethanol quantity in the reports. This means that while expensive petrol is charged to the public, excessive ethanol is filled in their car tanks, resulting in direct losses to ordinary citizens.

Expressing concern over the impact on vehicles, Gandhi said that ordinary people's cars are not built to withstand such high levels of ethanol. Due to excessive ethanol, the mileage of the car decreases and frequent visits to the mechanic are required, leading to the ruin of cars bought by people with passion. He also questioned that there is no clarity or labeling on what is being filled in the tanks at petrol pumps, leaving consumers with no option of choice.

Asking direct questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi said, “Modi ji, tell us what is actually being filled in the country's tanks? How much ethanol is actually in the petrol? When will action be taken against companies blending more than 20%?” Along with this, he reiterated his challenge to Prime Minister Modi for an open discussion, stating that this issue of ethanol blending would also be included in that discussion. He questioned who is actually benefiting from these government policies?

According to an NDTV India report, Rahul Gandhi clarified that both government and private companies are blending ethanol beyond the limit and this information is being hidden in the reports. This entire controversy emerged after a disclosure by the Karnataka government. According to a report by The Hindu, Rizwan Arshad, the Karnataka government's Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology, stated in a press conference that samples were taken from Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru, and Tumakuru districts. These samples were tested at the Labour Research Institute in Bengaluru, which is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and ISO certified. In the report of this lab, 31.2% and 30.5% ethanol were recorded in the samples of IOCL and HPCL respectively, based on which the Karnataka government has demanded action against the companies.

Rahul Gandhi has termed this incident as a fraud committed against the public and has demanded transparency from the Central Government on this matter.