It’s a rare kind of argument in which both sides agree on one thing: the limit is 20%. What they disagree on is whether anyone has gone above it.
The state’s case starts with drivers. Shivakumar said complaints about reduced mileage and engine trouble prompted the checks, which his government ran through the Legal Metrology department under a programme called Mission Nikhara. He said samples have been collected and tested at 67 locations.
Arshad said the lab work was done at NABL-accredited facilities. He also said the state collected 63 samples starting September 21 and sent them to the oil marketing companies, and that the companies failed to supply specific ethanol-blending percentages for them. He rejected the claim that the sampling was improper, saying representatives of the oil companies and Karnataka officials signed the relevant documents. He also dismissed the idea that this is a local issue, saying petrol dealers have nothing to do with it and the companies are blaming them to wash their hands of responsibility.
The state’s demands are specific. It wants the Centre to publish actual ethanol content across the country, take legal action against any company found exceeding the limit, set up an E20 damage compensation fund, and require ethanol disclosure at every pump.
The Petroleum Ministry says the numbers don’t match its own. It rejected Karnataka’s findings on November 7, saying tests by public sector oil marketing companies had found no breach of the applicable fuel specifications. It cited 893 samples across 27 states and UTs that met quality standards, and questioned Karnataka’s sampling and laboratory methods.
Indian Oil said its E20 petrol conforms to the BIS specification IS 17021. A Telangana Today headline says the oil companies’ own tests of Karnataka samples recorded ethanol of up to 19.9%, and The News Minute and others report the companies pointing to irregularities at certain petrol outlets. IOCL, BPCL and HPCL also asked for the state’s sampling records and lab reports, and proposed joint testing.
That proposal may be the way out. Both the Centre and the state-run companies have called for joint sampling and independent testing. Karnataka hasn’t said yes to it in the reports I found.
It became political almost immediately. Rahul Gandhi called it “petrol chori,” and the Karnataka Congress cast the issue as the failure of the Modi government’s E20 policy. Mocking the policy, Leader of the Opposition Gandhi also asked whether E20 was “420,” per Telegraph India.
The BJP says the state is playing games. ThePrint reports the party called Congress protests at petrol pumps a diversion tactic, and The Hawk reports it accused the state of politicising the issue to impress Rahul Gandhi. Minister of State Suresh Gopi said Karnataka and Kerala were free to run their own tests but shouldn’t politicise it. Within Karnataka, M B Patil blamed the Centre, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy disputed the state’s claims.
E20 isn’t new. India reached an average of 19.97% blending as of October, and the Petroleum Ministry has said its studies, including ones by ARAI and SIAM, found no negative effect on vehicles. Critics dispute that, and the Supreme Court declined to hear a petition last year that asked for an ethanol-free option at pumps.
So the argument has two layers. One is whether any fuel exceeded 20%. The other, older one is whether E20 itself is good for older vehicles.
We don’t have an independent verdict. The state says its labs are accredited, and the Centre says its sampling was flawed. Without the full reports or a shared test, outsiders can’t judge. Kerala’s results may add a third data point, and its minister has said prosecution would follow if excess ethanol is found.
