Ethanol policy enriched Gadkari’s family, not farmers: Congress

The Congress on Thursday alleged that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s sons had reaped extraordinary gains from the Centre’s ethanol policy, while citizens and farmers saw no relief, calling it part of a larger “bhatija” culture surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Pawan Khera said the Modi government had failed to deliver on its 2014 promise of producing ethanol from municipal waste and wooden biomass. “Seven years later, not a single litre has come from waste. Of the 627 crore litres produced, 56 per cent comes from sugarcane and the rest from grain,” he said.

Khera accused Gadkari’s sons, Nikhil and Sarang Gadkari, of benefitting from policies framed by their father. He claimed that Nikhil’s company, Cian Agro Industries & Infrastructure Limited, recorded revenue of Rs 18 crore in June 2024, which rose to Rs 523 crore a year later. Its share price soared from Rs 37.45 in January 2025 to Rs 638, a rise of more than 2,100 per cent. Sarang Gadkari owns Manas Agro Industries, also in the ethanol business. “The father drafts the policy, the sons cash in on it,” Khera remarked.

He alleged that while Gadkari’s family firms flourished, petrol prices stayed high, vehicle engines suffered damage due to ethanol blending and farmers were compelled to sell their grain at cheaper rates. “NITI Aayog itself admits mileage has fallen six per cent,” he added.

Linking the issue to a wider pattern, Khera said Modi was surrounded by a “brigade of nephews”, naming the sons of Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ajit Doval as examples. “Some nephews make money through T-20 tournaments, some through E-20 ethanol,” he said, adding that the nexus between politics and business had deepened under the government.

Khera also alleged that cheap crude oil imported from Russia was being refined by companies close to the Prime Minister, then diverted to ethanol factories run by Gadkari’s sons before taxes were added. “This is a system where the uncle grabs votes, and the nephews grab money,” he charged.

Turning his questions directly to the Prime Minister, Khera said: “In 2021 you claimed 20 per cent ethanol blending would boost farmer incomes. Show the data, how much did they actually gain? If petrol was to be Rs 55 a litre, why are people paying double? Why did Gadkari’s sons benefit while consumers did not?”

The Congress demanded a full account of the nearly Rs 40 lakh crore collected as cess on petrol and diesel between 2014 and 2025. “The government speaks of zero tolerance for corruption and pushes constitutional amendments. Before that, will you order an inquiry into your own brigade of nephews?” Khera asked.