What happened: Rahul Gandhi criticises mandatory E20 blending
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, intensified criticism of mandatory ethanol (E20) blending in petrol. Rahul Gandhi alleged that E20 harms ordinary people by damaging vehicles and by reducing the value people get from petrol purchases, using “stealing” as a metaphor for consumer loss.
Government’s position: emissions and reduced crude import dependence
The Narendra Modi government defended ethanol blending by arguing that E20 reduces dependence on imported crude oil and helps lower emissions.
What Congress signalled next
Rahul Gandhi indicated that the Congress will raise the E20 issue prominently in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi also said the Congress is working out how to sequence issues because the political agenda is crowded.
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