In a move to directly understand the challenges faced by India's gig workforce, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha recently stepped away from his parliamentary duties to live a day in the life of a Blinkit delivery executive. The Aam Aadmi Party politician shared a teaser video of this experience on social media, sparking significant online discussion about the working conditions within the quick commerce sector.
From Parliament to Pavement: Chadha's Undercover Mission
On Monday, January 12, 2026, Raghav Chadha posted a video on his official X (formerly Twitter) account documenting his undercover stint. The clip begins with the MP changing into the recognizable Blinkit uniform—a T-shirt and jacket. He is then seen meeting a delivery partner, from whom he collects a delivery bag, before embarking on the rider's scooter to understand the job's daily rigors.
The video follows Chadha as he accompanies the rider through the core tasks of the job: stopping at a Blinkit store to pick up packaged items and then traveling to a customer's address to complete the delivery. The teaser concludes with the delivery partner ringing the doorbell, with Chadha observing closely from behind, and the MP promising a fuller account with the words "stay tuned."
Chadha captioned the post, "Away from boardrooms, at the grassroots. I lived their day. Stay tuned," signaling his intent to use this firsthand experience to advocate for policy changes.
Context: A Viral Spark and Parliamentary Action
Chadha's experiment did not occur in a vacuum. It follows a major controversy in late 2025, when a viral video featured a Blinkit rider disclosing that he earned only Rs 763 after nearly 15 hours of work. This revelation ignited a nationwide debate on the low earnings, exhausting hours, and absence of social security for app-based gig workers.
The MP had previously labeled these conditions as a form of "systemic exploitation hidden behind apps and algorithms." He raised the issue forcefully during the Winter Session of Parliament, demanding better protection for these workers. In a notable follow-up action, after the session concluded, Chadha invited the delivery partner from the viral video, Thapliyal Ji from Uttarakhand, to his home for lunch.
Chadha's Stance: Calling for a Ban on 10-Minute Delivery
Raghav Chadha has been a vocal critic of the intense pressure placed on quick commerce delivery personnel. In Parliament, he explicitly demanded a ban on 10-minute delivery service promises offered by various platforms, arguing that such unrealistic deadlines perpetuate cruelty towards workers.
He described gig workers as the "invisible wheels of the Indian economy" who constantly risk their lives to meet these demanding targets. Chadha contended that their working conditions can be harsher than those of traditional daily wage laborers and emphasized the urgent need for the government to formulate policies for their welfare and security.
By temporarily joining their ranks, Chadha has moved the discussion from parliamentary halls to the public sphere, using his platform to humanize the data and stories of millions of gig workers across India. His upcoming detailed account is awaited by both supporters and policymakers alike.
