New Delhi: A parliamentarian of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has added fuel of the snarky kind to the ethanol fire, posing a rhetorical question on whether pure petrol would come from “someone’s father’s house”, in response to growing protests against the blended petrol policy of the government.
With Congress and other Opposition parties stepping up their attack on the Modi government over the use of ethanol-blended petrol, the comments from Rewa Member of Parliament Janardan Mishra have come like an unwholesome additive to the mix.
Targeting those opposing ethanol-blended petrol during an event at Rewa Airport, Mishra said there are protests claiming ethanol won’t work and only ‘pure’ petrol should be used. “Desh mein jab shuddh petrol hai hi nahin to kya tumhare baap ke yahan se aaega (there’s no pure petrol in the country, so will it come from your father’s house?” he remarked, addressing critics of the policy.
Mishra was attending the inauguration ceremony of new flights connecting Rewa with Bhopal and Kolkata, where he also spoke about the country’s economic situation and its ethanol policy. He said while Prime Minister Modi wants to make India self-reliant, some “anti-national elements” are creating obstacles. Mishra went on to say that the whole world is trying to destabilise the prime minister at a time when he is working towards developing the nation.
Defending the ethanol blending policy, the MP said that India produces only 20 percent of its crude oil, and the rest has to be imported. “As for gas and oil, only 20 percent of the oil we use is produced domestically. We have to import 80 per cent from abroad. A war has broken out. The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and oil is being transported to the country via an 18,000-km detour,” he said.
“Yet, when PM Modi says that 20 percent ethanol will have to be blended into petrol, protests erupt, with people saying, ‘Ethanol won’t do—bring us only pure petrol.’ Will pure petrol come from your father’s house? When pure petrol isn’t even available in the country, where will it come from?”
Mishra then cited examples from other countries, including Brazil, where vehicles run on 100 per cent ethanol. “Brazil is the world’s largest producer of ethanol. Vehicles there run on 100 per cent ethanol without facing any issues. Automobile experts and mechanics acknowledge that ethanol does not damage vehicle engines, yet it faces unnecessary opposition in India.”
Mishra is no stranger to controversy. In November 2022, he had hit the headlines when he told a water conservation workshop in Rewa: “Lands are running dry of water, it must be saved… Drink alcohol, chew tobacco, smoke weed or smell thinner and solution but understand the importance of water.” Earlier the same year, he was filmed cleaning a toilet at a school with his bare hands.
Sharing the video clip of Mishra’s latest comments, senior Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said: “This is BJP MP Janardan Mishra from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. People’s vehicles are getting ruined due to E20, but listen to his arrogance.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi last week had vowed to take up the E20 (ethanol-blended petrol) issue in a “massive way”, calling it a direct theft from the people. He posted a video on X, saying it is a “big issue” and that the Congress would be taking it up in a “massive way” because it is “destroying” people’s cars, scooters and their lives. “Daal mein kaala nahi, poori daal hi kaali hai (it’s not something that is fishy, but that the whole issue is),” he added in Hindi.
The Opposition has been critical of the Modi government over the ethanol policy, with even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) initiating a series of nationwide town hall meets against E20 fuel, in a bid to interact with vehicle owners and gather feedback on issues arising from ethanol-blended petrol.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)