Political commentator and television personality Tehseen Poonawalla has claimed that his Instagram account was suspended just a day before his planned “Gaadi March” against the Centre’s E20 petrol policy. Announcing the development on X on Thursday, Poonawalla alleged that the suspension came after his Instagram posts and videos opposing the mandatory 20 percent ethanol-blended fuel gained significant traction online. He described the action as undemocratic and questioned why his account was taken down while, according to him, others engaging in abusive content remained active.

Poonawalla said he recently met Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and other officials through his public advocacy group, Team Bharat, to raise concerns over the E20 fuel policy. The group demanded that E10 petrol continue to be made available, sought a 20 percent price reduction for E20 fuel, and called for the government to release all testing reports and technical documents related to the policy. He also alleged that his scheduled media interaction at Delhi’s Vijay Chowk was interrupted by police officers, claiming two IPS officers were sent to stop him from addressing journalists.

Through Team Bharat, Poonawalla has been leading a campaign against the nationwide rollout of E20 petrol, arguing that a large number of vehicles on Indian roads were originally designed for E10 or regular petrol. The group has raised concerns over fuel efficiency, engine performance and long-term maintenance costs, while also demanding greater transparency regarding the policy’s implementation. At the time of publication, Meta had not publicly commented on the alleged suspension of Poonawalla’s Instagram account, and the government had not responded to his allegations.