New Delhi: The Congress today alleged here that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's sons have got extraordinary benefits from the Centre's ethanol policy, while citizens and farmers have not got any relief. The party termed it as part of a larger 'nephew' culture around Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the Modi government has failed to fulfil its 2014 promise to produce ethanol from municipal waste and woody biomass.
"After seven years, not a single litre of ethanol has come from waste. Of the 627 crore litres of ethanol produced, 56 per cent comes from sugarcane and the rest from grains.’’ Pawan Khera accused Gadkari’s sons, Nikhil and Sarang Gadkari, of benefiting from the policies made by their father. He claimed that Nikhil’s company Cian Agro Industries & Infrastructure Limited registered a revenue of Rs 18 crore in June 2024, which rose to Rs 523 crore a year later. Its share price rose from Rs 37.45 to Rs 638 in January 2025, an increase of over 2,100 per cent. Sarang Gadkari owns Manas Agro Industries, which is also in the ethanol business.
The Congress leader said, “Fathers make policies, sons benefit from them.”
He alleged that when Gadkari’s family firms grew, petrol prices rose, ethanol blending damaged vehicle engines and farmers were forced to sell their food grains at cheap prices. He said, “NITI Aayog itself admits that profits have fallen by six per cent.”
Linking the issue to a larger pattern, Kheda said Modi was surrounded by a “group of nephews.” He named the sons of Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ajit Doval as examples. “Some nephews make money through T20 tournaments, some through E-20 ethanol,” said Pawan Kheda. He said the nexus between politics and business has deepened under the government.
The Congress leader alleged that cheap crude oil imported from Russia was being refined by companies close to the Prime Minister, then given to ethanol factories run by Gadkari’s sons before adding tax. “This is a system where uncles grab votes and nephews grab money,” he alleged.
Directing his questions to the Prime Minister, Khera said, “In 2021, you had claimed that 20 per cent ethanol blending would increase farmers’ income. Show the figures, how much did they actually benefit? If petrol was to be priced at Rs 55 per litre, why are people paying double? Why did Gadkari’s sons benefit and not the consumers?”
The Congress demanded a full accounting of the nearly Rs 40 lakh crore collected as cess on petrol and diesel between 2014 and 2025. Khera asked, “The government talks about zero tolerance for corruption and pushes for constitutional amendments. Before that, will you order an investigation by your own nephews’ brigade?”