‘Will pure petrol come from your father’s house?’: BJP MP on ethanol blending; faces backlash

Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) MP from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, Janardan Mishra, sparked outrage by asking the general public if “pure petrol will come out of your father’s home”, amid the continuing nationwide row over ethanol blending in petrol. The remarks drew sharp reactions from the Opposition Congress. 

Mr. Mishra, a three-term Lok Sabha member, defended the Union authorities’s ethanol mixing coverage on Sunday (August 9, 2026), whereas addressing an occasion in Rewa to launch flight companies from the town to State capital Bhopal and West Bengal capital Kolkata. 

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“India produces 20% [crude] oil whereas 80% needs to be imported from overseas. And proper now, there’s a conflict happening. When [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi-ji talks about mixing 20% ethanol in petrol, a motion that’s happening claims ethanol received’t work, solely pure petrol will. Will pure petrol come out of your father’s home? If there’s no pure petrol within the nation, the place will it come from?” Mr. Mishra mentioned. 

The BJP chief claimed that whereas the transfer is being protested in India, Brazil was making “100%” ethanol blended gasoline and “all automobiles are working on it”.

“The car [companies] are saying that they’ve the engine and there’s no drawback as India has the capability to run vehicles on ethanol. However some individuals oppose ethanol. If ethanol isn’t produced, the place will petrol come from? The place will diesel come from?” Mr. Mishra mentioned. 

Brazil, typically used as a profitable instance of ethanol blended motor gasoline by BJP leaders, at present has a 30-32% necessary ethanol combine coverage for gasoline. 

The Congress termed Mr. Mishra’s remarks as “smug phrases”, and requested “whose father’s home is ethanol coming from?”

“Rewa MP ji, whose ‘father’s’ home is that this ethanol coming from? You’ve publicly displayed your upbringing and cursed the general public! However bear in mind, the times of smug phrases and injustice are actually over! Should you don’t imagine it, simply check out the Datia consequence!” the Opposition social gathering mentioned on social media platform X.

The BJP chief additionally confronted a backlash on social media, with scores of netizens sharing clips of his remarks and slamming them.