NEW DELHI — Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated on Thursday that his Instagram account has been restricted in India, alleging that his handle was made unavailable locally without formal explanation. In a video message released on X, the former Delhi Chief Minister claimed that social media platforms are suppressing users who raise concerns about issues such as ethanol blending policies and exam paper leaks, urging others experiencing similar account restrictions to contact him directly.
Hi @Meta @metaindia
Why have you restricted my account? Verbal enquiries at your India office revealed that my account has been restricted in India and is unavailable in India. Why? Noone in your office is giving any reasons. Noone is suggesting how restrictions can be removed.… pic.twitter.com/4JThAqFMon
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 6, 2026
Kejriwal shared screenshots of his account status displaying an “Unavailable in some locations” notification, noting that inquiries made to Meta’s India operations yielded no specific grounds for the restriction or instructions for account restoration. Criticizing the lack of clarity from the platform, he accused the social media firm of succumbing to government pressure. Meta did not issue an immediate public response regarding the account status or the claims made by the AAP leader.
The development follows recent political debate surrounding the Union government’s E20 ethanol-blending policy, during which Kejriwal cited automobile industry concerns regarding fuel quality. Concurrently, the Bombay High Court ordered social media platforms, including Meta, to remove defamatory and deepfake content targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari over the ethanol initiative, directing tech firms to enforce content moderation frameworks.
