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Bengaluru, Nov 7 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday criticized Union Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi for allegedly issuing a false statement on ethanol allocation to oil marketing companies.
Issuing a statement on Friday, CM Siddaramaiah said, ‘I demand that Union Minister Joshi apologize to the farmers of Karnataka for his false statements made with the sole intention of turning them against our government.’
CM Siddaramaiah said, “There is still time – let them urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order more ethanol procurement from Karnataka and wash away the sin of cheating our farmers.”
CM Siddaramaiah said, “Our demand is simple – ethanol allocation should be in proportion to the production capacity. Instead of supporting this pro-farmer demand, Pralhad Joshi has spoken against us, thereby betraying the farmers of Karnataka.”
CM Siddaramaiah said, “It has been proved once again that Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has made lies his family deity by claiming that ‘the allocation of ethanol to Karnataka’s oil marketing companies is 116.30 crore litres, not 47 crore litres’ and ‘Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has quoted figures related to Jharkhand’.”
CM Siddaramaiah said, “While telling such a big lie with shameless confidence, Union Minister Joshi should have at least remembered the dignity of his ministerial post. In the press conference, I had talked only about the ethanol allocation to the oil marketing companies of Karnataka for the financial year 2024-25.”
He said, for 2024-25, the total ethanol production capacity of Karnataka’s 46 distilleries is 270 crore litres, of which only 47 crore liters has been allocated to oil companies.
CM Siddaramaiah said, “These figures are not from the Karnataka government, but from Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi himself, who gave this information in a reply in the Lok Sabha on August 6, 2025.”
The CM said, “Therefore, either Joshi’s statement today is false or his answer in Parliament was false. Whatever is accepted, Joshi cannot escape being branded a liar.”
This is not the first time that Karnataka has faced injustice regarding ethanol procurement. Between 2021-22 and 2024-25, Karnataka’s total ethanol production capacity was 879 crore litres, while the quantity purchased from the state was only 171 crore litres. Is this not a grave injustice to the sugarcane farmers of Karnataka by the Central Government? CM Siddaramaiah asked the question.
In contrast, Gujarat state’s annual ethanol production capacity is 40 crore litres, yet 31 crore liters has been allocated to oil marketing companies. Where is this justice? CM Siddaramaiah asked.
“Respected Mr Joshi, even Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is from your own party, has written to you urging an increase in the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane and higher Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar. Karnataka’s BJP leaders have themselves written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting an increase in Karnataka’s ethanol allocation. Yet the Central government remains blind,” he said.
He criticized, saying, “Minister Joshi lacks both the courage and commitment to stand up to the Prime Minister and demand justice for farmers. He can only create political controversy with false statements.”
–IANS
MKA/Work