- Venkatesh Alla publicly opposes India's 20% ethanol petrol blend plan by 2025-26
- The consumer threatened legal action against Petroleum Ministry over ethanol fuel use
- He also claimed vehicles are not designed for ethanol blends and demand separate sales
As India pushes forward with its plan to blend 20% ethanol into petrol (E20) by 2025-26, a consumer has publicly voiced strong opposition, raising questions about the fuel's impact on vehicle performance and consumer choice.
Venkatesh Alla, a user on X (formerly Twitter), criticised the move, calling it “outright fraud” and threatening legal action.
The user, who has even in the past questioned the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, wrote, “If anything happens to my vehicle due to Ethanol blended (Adulterated) Petrol, I will not hesitate to drag every single official in the Petroleum Ministry to court. We have every legal and constitutional right to do so.”
He further alleged that the government was enforcing fuel policies without adequate consumer choice or transparency. “Forcing blended fuel on us, when our vehicles aren't even designed for it, is outright fraud. You have no authority to dictate what fuel we must use. Pure Petrol and Blended Petrol must be sold separately. Let the consumer decide based on their vehicle. Who the hell gave you the right to damage our vehicles in the name of policy?” he wrote and even tagged the petroleum ministry.
Here's the complete post:
The EBP Programme, which seeks to cut India's dependence on fossil fuels and promote cleaner mobility, has seen significant progress in recent years. According to a NDTV Profit report, ethanol blending averaged 12.06% in FY 2022-23 and rose to 14.6% in FY 2023-24. By February 2025, it had reached 19.6%, with the 20% threshold crossed shortly after. In the last financial year, India blended 7.07 billion litres of ethanol, with oil marketing companies allocating nearly 9.96 billion litres.
In another post earlier this month, Mr Alla lashed out at Indian Oil, saying, “How much ethanol are you dumping into petrol?”
He went on to add, “Car mileage has tanked for the past year! We're forced to pay full price for petrol that's 20% adulterated; this is nothing but an organised scam. The business and the government, both are acting like shameless thieves, looting citizens in broad daylight!”
While the government continues to project the ethanol push as a cornerstone of India's green transition, critics like Mr Alla argue the environmental benefits do not justify the impact on vehicle performance and consumer rights.
