AAP MP Raghav Chadha on Monday shared a video of himself spending a day as a delivery agent with quick-commerce platform Blinkit, stressing his push for reforms in the gig economy of India's e-commerce platforms and better working conditions for delivery workers.
The Rajya Sabha member's exercise was aimed at understanding the everyday realities faced by delivery partners, an issue he has also raised in Parliament and on public platforms.
In the video posted on social media, Chadha is seen dressed in Blinkit’s yellow uniform, wearing a helmet and riding pillion on a delivery agent’s motorbike as they complete orders across the city. The visuals show him accompanying the worker through deliveries, mirroring a regular shift on the platform.
Sharing the video of his day out, Chadha wrote, “Away from boardrooms, at the grassroots. I lived their day.”
{{/usCountry}}Sharing the video of his day out, Chadha wrote, “Away from boardrooms, at the grassroots. I lived their day.”
{{/usCountry}}Chadha’s outreach comes amid growing demands from gig workers for a policy overhaul, including calls to end ultra-fast delivery timelines such as the 10-minute model, which workers argue increases pressure and safety risks.
Also Read | ‘Hostages with helmets’: Raghav Chadha tears into delivery platforms over workers' strike
Focus on gig workers’ issues
The AAP MP has been vocal about gig workers’ conditions in recent months. He even hosted a delivery agent for lunch, and conducted interviews with him to highlight concerns around pay, safety and job security.
Earlier this month, Chadha criticised the business models of quick commerce and food delivery platforms, saying that if companies needed police support to function, it was “an admission” that the system “doesn't work”.
Chadha’s remarks followed comments by Zomato and Blinkit founder Deepinder Goyal during recent strikes by delivery workers. Goyal had described striking workers as “miscreants” while arguing that delivery platforms had created jobs at scale.
Also Read | ‘Denied lifts, delivery agents climb 10-14 floors’: What Blinkit rider told Raghav Chadha during lunch
Responding on X, Chadha wrote, “Delivery partners across India went on strike demanding basic dignity, fair pay, safety, predictable rules and social security. 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."
He added, “Workers asking for fair pay are not criminals.”
New Year’s Eve deliveries
After the strikes had limited impact, Goyal said on X that Zomato and Blinkit delivered at a record pace on New Year’s Eve, “unaffected by calls for strikes that many of us heard over the past few days.”
Also Read | Gig workers’ all-India strike on New Year’s Eve? End to 10-minute delivery among key demands
“Support from local law enforcement helped keep the small number of miscreants in check," he wrote, sharing delivery numbers from the night.
Reiterating his stance, Chadha said he had already raised the issue of gig workers during the winter session of Parliament and would continue to pursue it.
“This is a fight I will see through. In Parliament. Outside Parliament. Until there is accountability. The workers who built these platforms order by order, kilometre by kilometre, deserve better than to be called ‘miscreants’ for asking to be treated as human beings," he said.