Bengaluru, Nov 11 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka on Wednesday accused the Karnataka government of spreading false propaganda over ethanol blending in petrol to divert public attention from the rising prices and its failure to govern the state.
Speaking after participating in a BJP protest against the Karnataka government’s price-hike measures at Freedom Park, Ashoka alleged that Karnataka Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Rizwan Arshad was making misleading statements on ethanol blending to shift the focus from public anger over rising prices.
He said ethanol blending was being promoted by the Central government to increase farmers’ income and reduce dependence on conventional fuels. The Centre had mandated 20 per cent ethanol blending, which had benefited farmers, he said.
“The Congress leaders do not know ethanol blending. The price of ethanol is higher than petrol. Countries such as the United States and Italy are also using higher proportions of ethanol. The initiative was introduced with the intention of increasing farmers’ income. Even such a measure is being opposed by the Karnataka government,” he alleged.
Ashoka claimed that ethanol blending was also being implemented in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala. Accusing the Karnataka government of making baseless allegations, he said the BJP had collected samples from petrol bunks allegedly belonging to Congress leaders and sent them for testing.
He alleged that the Karnataka government was attempting to divert attention from public resentment over repeated price hikes by raising the ethanol issue.
Referring to the alleged incident of chappals being thrown at screens during Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s visit to the Hasanamba Temple in Hassan, Ashoka said people had performed “mangalarati” (a sarcastic reference to a public insult) to the Chief Minister as an expression of their anger over price rises.
“People are asking whether D.K. Shivakumar has done any good work after coming to power. When he visited the Hasanamba temple recently, people questioned him about price increases and expressed their anger in front of Congress leaders. Even God is not blessing him now,” he said.
Ashoka also criticised the government over the alleged release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu despite the KRS reservoir being empty. He claimed that the government had cited a shortage of funds even to purchase diesel and expressed concern over water availability in the coming days.
Accusing the Karnataka government of pushing the state into financial distress, he said the transport corporations, which had received national awards and were profitable during his tenure as Transport Minister, had now been pushed into losses.
He further alleged corruption in the administration, claiming that ministers and officials were demanding commissions for government work. He also criticised the increase in milk, curd and ghee prices, questioning how much of the additional revenue would reach dairy farmers.
Ashoka said the BJP would continue its agitation against price rises and claimed that the Congress would face a severe electoral setback in the 2028 Assembly elections, predicting that it would not win even 20 seats.
–IANS
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