“The Congress will take up the matter in a massive way because the Union government is destroying people’s scooters, destroying people’s lives, and literally is stealing directly from them,” Gandhi said in the video posted on his official X account.

Responding to the video, BJP spokesperson RP Singh said Gandhi should verify his claims before making such allegations.

“Whenever Rahul Gandhi releases such videos, he should first check whether they are accurate or not. The petrol tank that he opened and showed clearly had ‘E20 Compatible’ written on it. But still, he should speak to the farmers of Punjab as they are, in fact, protesting against those political parties who are opposing E20,” Singh told IANS.

“Farmers are happy with this and E20 is necessary for the country’s foreign exchange,” he added.

BJP leader Gourav Vallabh also questioned Gandhi’s claim, saying the Opposition leader had overlooked the marking on the vehicle.

“Rahul Gandhi did not read that it was written on the tank itself that it is compatible for E20,” Vallabh said.

“Rahul Gandhi should realise that he is being publicly mocked. He should have at least read what is written on the tank of the car which he was showing. Only speaking lies and misleading people is not politics, instead the first foundation of politics is truth which Rahul ji seem to be losing,” he added.

Opposition leaders, however, defended Gandhi and raised concerns over the impact of E20 fuel on vehicles.

Samajwadi Party MP Pushpendra Saroj said the concerns were not limited to the Opposition, arguing that vehicle owners had also begun reporting problems after the introduction of higher ethanol blending.

“When common people started facing problems with their vehicles due to E20, they realised that blending and mixing could be affecting vehicles… Ethanol’s disadvantages are greater than its benefits,” he told IANS.

Congress leader TS Singh Deo said older vehicles could face compatibility issues and argued that consumers should have more fuel options.

“In our country, the system has been made such that only E20 fuel will be available. There should have been options, petrol without ethanol, E10, and E20. If vehicles are compatible with E10 but not E20, people should be able to use E10 until E20-compatible vehicles are widely available,” he told reporters.

CPI-M leader Hannan Mollah also voiced concerns over the impact of higher ethanol blending on vehicle performance.

“Everyone is worried that the 20 per cent ethanol blending in fuel is affecting its quality. It is damaging engines and reducing mileage. Many people are saying this, but the Union government is forcibly saying that it is fine. They are spreading lies. But this is not right. When questions are raised, people’s concerns should be heard,” he said.

The exchange has brought the debate over E20 fuel back into the political spotlight, with the BJP defending the government’s ethanol-blending policy and Opposition leaders questioning its impact on consumers and older vehicles.

(With IANS inputs)