Public money, govt line: How DD News used pro-Modi govt farmer leaders to push E20

A nationwide debate is raging over ethanol-blended petrol, or E20, with motorists complaining of lower mileage and alleged engine damage. The government, meanwhile, has stuck to a central defence: E20 is good for farmers.

DD News has been an enthusiastic vehicle for that message. Since May, the public broadcaster has aired more than 50 explainers, debates and ground reports promoting E20. But last month, it went a step further, publishing videos of seven farmer leaders on its official social media accounts, all making essentially the same case: ethanol blending is driving farmers’ progress.

There was something else these seven had in common. All were already supporters of the Modi government and its policies. Several had backed the three farm laws at the centre of the 2020–21 farmers’ protest, and some had openly opposed the agitation. So, in other words, as criticism of E20 mounted, DD News turned to seven farmer leaders with established pro-government positions to bolster its case for ethanol blending, without disclosing those affiliations to its audience.

The seven were K P Singh Thainuan of Gaon Kisan Unnayan, Ashok Balyan of the Peasant Welfare Association, Krishanveer Chaudhary of the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, Dharmendra Chaudhary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaudhary Charan Singh), Rampal Jat of the Kisan Mahapanchayat, K Sai Reddy of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, and Vinod Anand, a member of the government’s MSP committee. All seven videos were published back-to-back on the DD News YouTube channel on July 28, and the messaging across them was strikingly uniform, framing dissent itself as unpatriotic.

‘Anti-national’

Krishanveer Chaudhary called opponents of ethanol blending “anti-national,” saying farmers were shifting from being annadata, or food providers, to urjadata, or energy providers, and that “opposing it cannot be justified in any way”. 

K P Singh Thainuan dismissed concerns as “entirely baseless” and tied ethanol expansion to the government’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” vision. 

Ashok Balyan claimed sugarcane, paddy, and maize farmers were benefiting substantially. 

K Sai Reddy went further, alleging that “the oil lobby, certain NGOs, and foreign forces” were behind the opposition, declaring that “anyone opposing ethanol is opposing the farmer”. 

Vinod Anand called the ethanol program “farmer-centric, administratively implementable, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable,” and likewise branded critics “anti-nationals”. 

Dharmendra Chaudhary and Rampal Jat made nearly identical claims.

A closer look shows all of them have a track record of aligning with the BJP-led government. Krishanveer Chaudhary is a BJP member who joined the party in 2014 in the presence of Rajnath Singh, campaigned for the BJP’s Ghaziabad candidate in 2024, supported the three farm laws, and sits on the government’s MSP committee. 

Ashok Balyan, who belongs to the same Balyan khap as BJP leader Sanjeev Balyan, led one of the 12 farmer groups that backed the farm laws during the 2020–21 protests, and is considered a leader the government is comfortable engaging with. 

K Sai Reddy heads the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, an RSS-affiliated body that, despite describing itself as non-political, has consistently backed the central government’s policies, including 20 percent ethanol blending. 

K P Singh Thainuan has attended multiple BJP events, supports Yogi Adityanath and Narendra Modi, and has said he wants Adityanath to become Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for a third term. 

Vinod Anand sits on the central government’s high-level committee on MSP and agricultural reforms. 

Dharmendra Chaudhary’s social media shows meetings with senior BJP leaders, including a photograph with Shivraj Singh Chouhan. 

Rampal Jat has moved between parties over the years, aligned with the BJP before 2018, later seen with the Aam Aadmi Party, and extending support to Congress in 2023.

All seven were present at a “Pradhan Mantri Aabhar Karyakram,” or Prime Minister’s Gratitude Program, held on August 12, 2025 at Delhi’s Pusa complex, an event Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan organised amid India-US trade talks to thank Modi for resisting foreign pressure to open up agriculture and dairy. According to PIB’s own account, attendees described Modi and Chouhan’s leadership as “incomparable” and voiced full support for the government’s “visionary and farmer-friendly ideas”. 

Asked for response

Newslaundry contacted the leaders directly.

Dharmendra Chaudhary said ethanol blending was “currently yielding no benefits,” though raising sugarcane prices would help. 

Rampal Jat said, “Farmers in my region are deriving absolutely no benefit from ethanol blending; in fact, there are complaints about vehicles breaking down. Nevertheless, I am pleased that E20 fuel is reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil.” 

Ashok Balyan and Krishanveer Chaudhary both said they support the government when it does good work and engage with it on reforms otherwise, adding that if that reads as pro-government, there is little they can do about it. Vinod Anand said he made his own video and sent it to DD News. K Sai Reddy and K P Singh Thainuann did not respond to Newslaundry’s queries, nor did Prasar Bharati.

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