"Bogus movement led by bogus leader Rahul Gandhi": Pralhad Joshi targets Congress over ethanol blending row

Hubballi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday accused the Congress of attempting to mislead the public over ethanol blending in petrol, calling it a "bogus movement led by a bogus leader, Rahul Gandhi", and alleging that the party's criticism was aimed at political appeasement.

His remarks came in response to Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad's statement defending the state government's report that oil marketing companies (OMCs) were blending more than 20 per cent ethanol in petrol, despite the companies rejecting the findings.

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Joshi said the Congress was trying to appease minorities as well as Rahul Gandhi by making statements in his favour, adding that the public understood its approach.

"One must understand that this is all part of an effort to appease-not just the minorities, but also Rahul Gandhi. They keep saying things in his favour. The public understands this," he said.

Questioning the commercial logic of the claims, Joshi cited the prices of crude oil, petrol and ethanol, and said the initiative was aimed at supporting farmers and reducing India's dependence on imports.

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"At a time when crude oil is so expensive-with a base price of Rs 53 for petrol, while ethanol costs between Rs 57 and Rs 71 if derived from maize-there is simply no commercial logic to their claims. We took this initiative to support our farmers and to help the nation become self-reliant, rather than remaining dependent on imports," he said.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi, Joshi alleged that the Congress had attempted to launch a campaign against the government on several issues, including electronic voting machines (EVMs), infiltrators and Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

"Yet, the Congress party tried to stir up a movement-a bogus movement led by a bogus leader, Rahul Gandhi. They've tried everything: questioning EVMs, advocating for infiltrators, and even attacking Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The public has rejected all of this; they simply did not accept it," he said.

On the dispute over ethanol testing, Joshi said specialised equipment and recognised laboratories were required to test petrol and diesel, just as specialised equipment was used for medical tests.

"Just as you need specialised, high-end equipment to test for blood sugar levels or detect cancer, similar equipment and recognised laboratories are required for testing petrol and diesel," he said.

He further claimed that the procedures for such testing had been introduced during the UPA government's tenure in 2005.

"And who introduced this concept of using specific equipment and recognised labs? It was these very people-back in 2005, during the UPA's tenure-who issued an SOP and introduced the 'Petrol and Diesel Order'," he said, urging the Congress to publish all relevant details.

Earlier on Monday, Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad said the state government stands by its report that oil marketing companies (OMCs) are blending more than 20 per cent Ethanol in petrol, despite the companies' rejection of the claim.

Addressing a press conference, Arshad said the Karnataka government had last Friday released a report stating that petrol samples from seven districts were tested, and most showed an Ethanol blend above 20 per cent, going up to 31.2 per cent. "This is contrary to the government policy that they will blend only E20 fuel," he said.

He said the OMCs disputed the findings after the state explained where the samples were tested and what methodology was used, claiming the state was wrong

"I want to tell everyone in the country, assure them, that the Government of Karnataka stands by its report and claims that oil marketing companies are blending more than 20 per cent Ethanol in petrol, which will cause serious damage to the engines of vehicles, and it will burden the common man," Arshad said.