First major E20 street protest at Jantar Mantar

On 5 July 2026, entrepreneur and political commentator Tehseen Poonawalla’s Team Bharat brought the E20 debate from social media to Jantar Mantar. Media described it as the first dedicated street protest against the Centre’s mandatory ethanol-blended petrol rollout.

Slogans centred on “Humari Gaadi, Humara Adhikar.” Participants cited mileage drops, stalling, and expensive repairs — including personal stories of repair bills running into tens of thousands of rupees. Demands included availability of E0 / lower blends alongside E20, public release of ARAI and policy documents, and solutions for older (pre-2023) vehicles.

Organisers said Delhi Police gave verbal permission but sought to cap attendance around 200 people — a limit they criticised as undemocratic. The protest proceeded; the government and industry experts continued to argue that compliant vehicles show no abnormal harm in testing.

That July afternoon marked the shift from online grievance to physical presence — a thread that later connected to ministerial talks, the viral E20 Janta Party label, and the (now suspended) Gaadi March.