On Friday, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi intensified his attack on the Centre’s accelerated rollout of E20 petrol, saying the Congress would raise the issue "in a massive way" while alleging that the policy was harming vehicles and imposing an unfair burden on consumers.
In a video message posted on X, Gandhi criticised the government's push for petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol and used a variation of the Hindi phrase "daal mein kuch kaala hai" to suggest that the problem extended beyond isolated irregularities. Referring to the policy, he argued that the entire system surrounding the shift to higher ethanol blending was flawed and corrupt.
Responding to questions about why the opposition had not simultaneously taken up every issue it considers problematic, Gandhi said the party had to decide the order in which it would pursue different campaigns because of the large number of issues before it.
"This is a matter of sequencing. In any campaign, we have to decide the sequence of affairs. Our problem right now is that there is so much corruption that there is a huge list of issues that we have to sequence," Gandhi said.
He indicated that the E20 fuel programme would now become a major focus for the opposition, alleging that it was damaging automobiles and affecting people's finances.
"Don’t worry, we are going to take up this issue in a massive way because this is destroying people’s cars, destroying people’s scooters, destroying people’s lives and literally stealing directly from them," he said.
His remarks come amid continuing debate over the nationwide introduction of petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol. The government has promoted the policy as a measure to reduce crude oil imports and lower emissions, while critics have raised concerns over reduced fuel efficiency, the suitability of E20 fuel for older vehicles and the limited availability of conventional petrol at fuel stations.
The Centre and automotive industry bodies, however, have maintained that there is no verified evidence that E20 petrol causes widespread engine damage or abnormal corrosion.