Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha has strongly defended the gig workers who participated in a nationwide strike on the final day of 2025. In a detailed social media post on 3 January 2026, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) parliamentarian criticised major delivery platforms for their response to the labour action.
Defending Dignity, Condemning 'Miscreants' Label
Chadha took to platform X to express his support for the delivery partners, who halted work to demand basic dignity, fair pay, safety measures, predictable rules, and social security. He sharply rebuked the platforms' reaction. "The response from the Platform was to call them 'miscreants' and turn a labour demand into a law & order narrative. That is not just insulting, it is dangerous," Chadha stated.
He argued that workers asking for equitable compensation are not criminals. The MP highlighted a critical flaw in the system's operation: "If the gig workers' system needs police to keep running on its biggest day, then that does not serve as proof of the system working. That is an admission it doesn't. If you needed police to have your workers stay on the road, they're not employees. They're hostages with helmets."
Pro-Business vs. Pro-Exploitation Stance
Asserting his position, Chadha clarified that he is "pro-business and pro-startups" and has consistently supported innovation in Parliament. However, he drew a firm line against exploitation disguised as progress. "I will always back them. But I will never back exploitation dressed as progress... Success cannot be built by squeezing the last ounce out of the people doing the hardest work," he wrote.
He provided a stark perspective on the workers' economic vulnerability, noting that for many, a single day's income determines essentials like rent or a child's school fee. "Logging in on a strike day is not approval, it is survival. It is desperation," Chadha explained. He also cautioned against using distant promises to justify current injustices, stating that record order numbers are a business metric, not a moral one.
Alleging a Coordinated Campaign & Personal Attacks
The parliamentarian alleged a synchronized effort by platform board members to criticise his outreach to gig workers. "Within hours, identical talking points flooded our feeds. Board members who never discuss labour discovered social media... I have been in this long enough to recognise a paid campaign when I see one," he claimed.
Chadha, who raised the issue of gig worker compensation in the Rajya Sabha, also responded to critics who targeted his personal lifestyle. "Do not waste time debating my lifestyle. Focus on improving the lifestyle of gig workers," he retorted, challenging critics to instead scrutinise the opaque algorithms that determine worker pay.
The Broader Debate and Platform Responses
Chadha's lengthy post followed a series of comments from Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of Naukri.com and Non-Executive Director of Zomato's parent entity, Eternal. Bikhchandani questioned the motives behind the strike call, asserting that delivery partner welfare is a priority in board meetings. He suggested the organisers had a "political agenda" for taking the issue to social media instead of private discussion.
This exchange was preceded by data shared by Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, who defended the gig economy model. Goyal stated that the average hourly earnings for Zomato delivery partners, excluding tips, rose to ₹102 in 2025 from ₹92 in 2024, marking an approximate 10.9% year-on-year increase.
Earlier, Bikhchandani made an apparent dig at Chadha without naming him, criticising a "Champagne Socialist" for commenting on worker exploitation. Goyal had earlier argued that the gig economy breaks historical labour invisibility, making inequality personal and sparking intense debate.
Chadha concluded with a firm commitment: "Progress is whether the people who make the system run can live with dignity. This is a fight I will see through. In Parliament. Outside Parliament. Until there is accountability." He vowed to continue advocating for the workers who built the platforms "order by order, kilometre by kilometre."
