A heated debate has erupted around India’s food delivery and quick commerce platforms after Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha strongly criticised how companies handled a recent strike by delivery partners. His sharp remarks came in response to comments made by Zomato and Blinkit CEO Deepinder Goyal, who described striking workers as “miscreants.”

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Chadha questioned the very foundation of the gig economy model, arguing that if platforms need police intervention to keep operations running, it signals a deeper failure in the system.

“If you needed police to have your workers stay on the road, they’re not employees. They’re hostages with helmets,” Chadha wrote.

What triggered the row?

Delivery partners across several cities went on strike demanding fair pay, safety, predictable work rules, and social security. While the strike had limited operational impact, it sparked a fierce online exchange between political leaders and industry voices.

Deepinder Goyal, responding to the strike earlier this week, said Zomato and Blinkit delivered orders at a record pace on New Year’s Eve and credited local law enforcement for keeping a “small number of miscreants” in check.

That phrase didn’t sit well with Chadha.

Chadha calls out ‘dangerous narrative’

Without naming Goyal directly, Chadha accused platforms of turning a labour rights issue into a law-and-order problem.

“Workers asking for fair pay are not criminals,” he said, adding that labelling them as troublemakers was not just insulting, but dangerous.

He also took aim at the argument often used by gig platforms that if the system were unfair, workers wouldn’t continue to sign up.

Drawing a historical comparison, Chadha said even exploitative systems like zamindari lasted centuries, which didn’t make them just.

Allegations of paid PR and online attacks

In a long post, Chadha went further, alleging that delivery platforms ran paid PR campaigns against striking workers and their supporters.

“PR agencies got paid. Influencers got paid. Hashtags got bought. The only people still waiting for fair payment are the ones delivering your orders,” he claimed, without offering immediate proof.

He also said the backlash turned personal, involving attacks on his family and lifestyle.

“When someone runs out of answers, they reach for insinuations,” Chadha wrote, while questioning the transparency of algorithms that decide workers’ pay.

As of Saturday evening, Deepinder Goyal had not publicly responded to Chadha’s comments.

What Goyal had said earlier

In his post on Thursday, Goyal defended the gig economy as one of India’s largest organised job creation engines. He argued that an unfair system would not consistently attract and retain such a large workforce.

He also urged people not to be swayed by what he called “narratives pushed by vested interests,” adding that the long-term impact of the gig economy would be felt when delivery partners’ children benefit from stable incomes and education.

Chadha vows to continue the fight

Raghav Chadha reiterated that he had already raised gig workers’ concerns in Parliament during the winter session and promised to keep pushing for accountability.

“This is a fight I will see through. In Parliament. Outside Parliament,” he said.

Last month, Chadha had also demanded an end to 10-minute delivery services, calling them “cruel” and unsafe for workers.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he reminded lawmakers that gig workers are not machines.

“They are someone’s father, husband, brother, or son,” he said, urging the House to rethink ultra-fast delivery models.

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