(MENAFN- IANS) Bengaluru, Nov 7 (IANS) Responding to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's charges of discrimination to the state by the Union government on ethanol allocation, Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi has launched a counterattack against the Chief Minister.

Responding to Siddaramaiah's allegation that the Union government was providing "false information" about ethanol distribution, Union Minister Joshi said, "In his desperation to hold on to the Chief Minister's post, Siddaramaiah is uttering all sorts of baseless things. The tragedy for Karnataka is that its Chief Minister lacks even the basic understanding of verifying facts and data before making public statements."

"It is the Chief Minister himself who is building a palace of lies. Struggling to retain his position, he is speaking out of frustration without understanding the facts," he added.

The Union Minister said that during 2024–25, Karnataka supplied 139.8 crore litres of ethanol to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

"The Chief Minister should have first understood the data, verified it with officials, and then spoken. Unfortunately, it seems he doesn't even have that minimum level of awareness," he remarked.

The Union Minister accused Siddaramaiah of political escapism, saying: "When he was in the Opposition, Siddaramaiah used to advise the government to fix prices and establish a revolving fund. Now that he is in power, he has failed to resolve the sugarcane farmers' issues. Instead, he is pointing fingers at the Centre to escape responsibility."

He also clarified that the parliamentary reply cited by Siddaramaiah contained data only up to June 30, 2025, whereas the ethanol supply year runs from November to October.

"By hiding this fact, he is deliberately misleading the public," Union Minister Joshi said.

He added that between 2004 and 2014, sugarcane farmers were not paid on time and suffered immensely due to very low fair and remunerative price (FRP) and Minimum Support Price (MSP).

"Although ethanol blending was proposed as early as 2005, the then Congress-led government never took it seriously. After our government came to power, ethanol production and supply to OMCs increased 26 times between 2013–14 and 2024–25," Union Minister Joshi asserted.

He provided concrete figures: "In 2013–14, sugarcane procurement stood at Rs 57,104 crore. By 2024–25, it has crossed Rs 1,02,687 crore. The FRP was Rs 210 per quintal in 2013–14 and has now risen by 10.25 per cent to Rs 355 per quintal for the 2025–26 sugar season. This reflects our government's firm commitment, Mr. Siddaramaiah," he said.

Explaining the rationale behind ethanol blending, the Union Minister added that surplus sugar is being balanced through ethanol blending.

"From 2013–14 to 2024–25, fuel-grade ethanol production and supply to OMCs have increased 26 times," he noted.

He emphasised that formulating a uniform national policy is the responsibility of the Central government.

"It is also our duty to maintain a balance in sugar prices, and necessary measures are being taken. During the past 10 years, exports of up to 10 LMT (lakh metric tonnes) of sugar were permitted. This year, the allowance has been increased to 15 LMT," he said.

Criticising the Karnataka Congress-led government, Union Minister Joshi added that it has completely failed to address the demands of sugarcane farmers.

"Your government is only spreading lies and building castles in the air, pushing common people and farmers onto the streets. Your so-called 'guarantees' are the only thing your government stands for -- not the state's holistic development. Due to the Congress government's peak misgovernance, farmers have been forced to protest," he charged in his sharp rebuttal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

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