Amitabh Kant criticises AAP MP Raghav Chadha for 'politicising' gig economy: 'Job killers'

Amitabh Kant (L) and Raghav Chadha

• Amitabh Kant criticizes AAP for politicizing gig economy protests
• Kant predicts 23.5M gig jobs by 2030, calls for innovation over politics.
• Zomato CEO defends quick-commerce, denies rider safety is compromised

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A sharp political and industry-wide argument has erupted over the future of India’s gig and quick-commerce economy, with former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launching a strong attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha over recent protests by delivery workers.

Kant accused the party of undermining one of India’s largest employment generators and warned that turning the gig economy into a political battleground could have devastating consequences for livelihoods.

In a series of posts on X, he argued that platform-based work is fundamentally driven by consumer demand and has played a crucial role in job creation at scale.

“Calling this ‘exploitation’ by folks who have not created a single job is political, not factual,” Kant wrote, directly tagging Chadha and AAP and saying they "are not job creators; they are job killers". He described attempts to frame gig work as inherently exploitative as misleading and dangerous, adding that politicising the sector would “kill jobs.”

Backing his claim with projections, Kant said employment in the gig economy is expected to rise from 7.7 million workers today to 23.5 million by 2030. He also pointed to demand patterns, noting that on December 31 alone, Zomato and Blinkit together delivered more than 75 lakh orders, underscoring what he called a consumer-led model powered by convenience and speed.

Kant further argued that innovation should not be stifled by political rhetoric and said markets must be allowed to operate, even as safety nets for workers are strengthened.

According to him, critics were attempting to sabotage a fast-growing sector for ideological reasons rather than engaging with its economic realities.

Amitabh Kant's post on X

The remarks came after Chadha visited Old Rajinder Nagar in Delhi on New Year’s Eve, where delivery workers from platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, and Blinkit held a symbolic protest. Sharing images from the gathering, the AAP MP said he spent the evening listening to riders and understanding their concerns.

“These platforms didn’t succeed because of algorithms alone. They succeeded because of human sweat and labour,” Chadha said.

He said that gig workers should be treated as people and not “disposable data points,” arguing that the model should not turn into a “guilt-free exploitation economy.” Chadha called for fair compensation, humane working conditions, and social security for workers.

The exchange quickly spilled into the startup ecosystem, drawing pointed responses from prominent founders. Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani took a personal swipe at Chadha, questioning his authority to speak on labour issues.

In a post that was later reposted by Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal, Bikhchandani dismissed the AAP MP as a “champagne socialist” and accused him of shedding “crocodile tears” over alleged exploitation.

Goyal himself entered the debate, strongly defending the quick-commerce model and rejecting claims that speed-based delivery compromises rider safety. Addressing criticism around Blinkit’s 10-minute delivery promise, he said the system relies on dense neighbourhood store networks and operational design, not on forcing delivery partners to rush.

“One more thing. Our 10 minute delivery promise is enabled by the density of stores around your homes. It’s not enabled by asking delivery partners to drive fast. Delivery partners don’t even have a timer on their app to indicate what was the original time promised to the customer,” Goyal said.

He added that delivery partners usually cover distances of under two kilometres in roughly eight minutes at average speeds of about 15 kmph.

While acknowledging imperfections, Goyal said portraying gig work as uniformly exploitative ignores why many Indians voluntarily opt for platform-based jobs, sometimes over traditional employment.

In a broader reflection earlier this week, Goyal argued that the gig economy has made inequality more visible by placing workers and consumers in direct contact.

Over-regulation or dismantling the model, he warned, would not erase inequality but instead push workers back into the informal sector. “The doorbell is not the problem. The question is what we do after opening the door,” he said.