According to news agency Press Trust of India, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused the Congress of voicing worries about increased ethanol mixing in gasoline only to "appease" party leader Rahul Gandhi.
Joshi claimed that the fuel-testing procedure in Karnataka had problems and that the Congress government was making unfounded accusations in spite of the Center's explanations. However, Karnataka minister Rizwan Arshad stated that while the state was in favor of ethanol mixing, it also desired openness and independent gasoline testing.
"The Congress is participating in a different form of appeasement if it is bringing up this subject to placate Gandhi. They engage in appeasement tactics with minorities, especially Muslims, while also appeasing Gandhi. They voice their support for him. According to PTI, Joshi told reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday that "the public understands this."
According to Joshi, the goal of ethanol blending was to help farmers and lessen India's reliance on imported crude oil.
"Crude oil costs a lot these days. Our petrol has a base price of Rs 53, and if we use ethanol made from maize, it costs between Rs 57 and Rs 71. He added, "There is also no commercial logic in it." In order to help farmers and help the nation become self-sufficient, he continued, the government had encouraged ethanol mixing.
Additionally, he questioned the Congress about its objections to electronic voting machines, the Special Intensive Revision of electoral records, and other matters. He claimed that after failing to get popular support on those issues, the party brought up the ethanol problem.
Joshi described the fuel-testing procedure, stating that gasoline and diesel had to be tested in specific laboratories using specialized equipment. "A standard laboratory is adequate for checking blood sugar levels. However, advanced technology is required if you need to measure cancer levels or detect cancer indicators. Similarly, specialized equipment is needed for evaluating gasoline and diesel, he said.
According to Joshi, the Petroleum and Diesel Order, which was implemented in 2005 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance administration, established the system of specialized testing equipment and designated laboratories. "The testing must be carried out in the designated laboratory in accordance with one of its clauses," he stated, adding that Congress shouldn't transfer the burden to him.
He requested that the Karnataka government review the test results that the Center had previously sent and release the remaining information.
If they choose to debate, we will send an officer. There will be an OMC officer present. Allow Rizwan Arshad to sit with both our officers and their officers. Joshi spoke to an executive from an oil marketing company and stated, "Let them sit together and let Rizwan Arshad be the judge."
Joshi stated that since adequate explanation had already been given, he did not wish to address the accusations further. He serves as the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Education, Consumer Affairs, and Food and Public Distribution.
In response, Arshad stated that Joshi was not in charge of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry but had spoken on behalf of Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Arshad, who is in charge of Karnataka's Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, and Legal Metrology portfolios, mockingly proposed that Joshi might take over the petroleum portfolio following Puri's resignation.
"Why is the Union Government trying to make a public interest issue into a debate between people and farmers? Karnataka is not opposed to combining ethanol. Arshad stated, "Karnataka is against people being duped." The state acknowledged the advantages of ethanol blending for sugar mills, he continued.
Arshad asserted that gasoline that contained between 26 and 31 percent ethanol was being marketed as E20 and that people should receive an explanation instead of political allegations. 56 of the 893 conforming samples you cite are from Karnataka. However, the OMCs used their own laboratories to test and certify these. Where is the independent accountability when oil firms certify their own conformity and test their own products? In a statement published on X, he said that they were serving as both the judge and the accused.
He said that the true ethanol percentage was not disclosed in any of the reports that were released following Karnataka's initial submission of 63 samples to the internal laboratories of the oil marketing corporations. "The solution is to establish a transparent, independent verification framework if the Union Government disputes these findings, rather than just brushing the results off as sensationalism," he stated.
Despite the fact that ethanol is more costly than gasoline, Arshad also looked for a reason for the greater ethanol blending levels. He called for independent fuel testing, the publication of the true ethanol percentage at gas stations, and an option for customers between E10, E20, and pure gasoline.
"Joshi, attacking us personally and calling us idiots won't help you avoid these questions. Neither we nor the Indian populace are idiots. According to Arshad, "personal attacks cannot replace scientific evidence or solutions to the legitimate concerns of ordinary citizens."
