'Ethanol experiment on 3.6 crore Indians': Priyank Kharge slams Centre over E20 rollout

Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Wednesday targeted the Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari in his X post over the rollout of E20 (20% ethanol-blended petrol).He alleged that the government has admitted before the Supreme Court that ethanol blending is still an "experiment" despite millions of motorists already using the fuel.In a post on X, Kharge contrasted Nitin Gadkari's recent defence of E20 with the Centre's submission before the apex court."A few days back, Shri Nitin Gadkari openly challenged saying, 'Show me one vehicle anywhere in the world which had problems because of E20 petrol.' Today, the Central Government told the Supreme Court that 'Ethanol mixing is an experiment—results will come by next year,'" Kharge wrote. 'An experiment on 3.6 crore Indians'Calling the policy "an experiment on 3.6 crore Indians," Kharge alleged that vehicle mileage is declining, engines are suffering damage and repair costs are increasing for ordinary families.Kharge also asserted that nine out of ten vehicles in India are not compatible with E20 fuel, affecting an estimated 3.6 crore vehicles.Demands rollback of E20 policyKharge accused the government of implementing the policy without public consultation or consensus while continuing to collect data on its impact."You cannot call a national fuel shift an 'experiment' after forcing it down our tanks. You cannot challenge citizens to prove damage when your own data is still pending," he said.Arguing that "common people are not guinea pigs" and "our roads are not test tracks," Kharge urged the Centre to roll back the E20 policy until its safety and effectiveness are conclusively established.The government on June 30 told the Supreme Court that India's 20 per cent ethanol blending programme in petrol is still an ongoing experiment and that the impact of the policy is expected to become clearer by next year.The submission came during a hearing on a plea filed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), which challenged a Karnataka high court order relating to ethanol allocation for the 2025-26 Ethanol Supply Year.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.