'Ongoing effort for five years': Sanjeev Bikhchandani hits back at Raghav Chadha on gig worker rules

Investor Sanjeev Bikhchandani on Sunday pushed back against AAP MP Raghav Chadha over the Centre's draft Social Security Rules for gig and platform workers, saying the issue has been under discussion between platform companies and governments for years and accusing Chadha of attempting to "cause disruption and seek attention".

"What Raghav Chadha has failed to mention is that the platform companies have been in conversation with the Central Govt and various state govts (across party lines) for the past several years for enacting fair rules for gig worker welfare," Bikhchandani wrote on X.

"I have personally spoken to govt officials and ministers and given inputs. Some states have already passed laws around this. Eternal has been supportive and our inputs have been received by well intentioned governments that want growth and gig worker welfare both," he said.

Calling it a long-running process, Bikhchandani added: "This has been an ongoing effort for five years now. Mr. Chadha has come late to the party and without trying to understand the situation and without adding anything constructive to the conversation has merely tried to cause disruption and seek attention for himself on social media. He is trying to jump on the bandwagon and claim credit."

Bikhchandani said platform companies support the government’s approach. "We support the Central Govt and are thankful for their leadership in this matter we are also supportive and appreciative of all the state governments that have taken initiatives around this. We have worked with all of them," he said.

He also stressed compliance. "We are and always will follow the law. In fact for us the law is merely the minimum to be adhered to," Bikhchandani said.

His remarks came after Chadha welcomed the draft rules and credited the government for acting in favour of gig workers. "Congratulations to all Gig Workers and Delivery Partners. There is good news for you," Chadha said. "Central Government’s draft Social Security Rules are the first step towards recognition, protection and dignity for your work."

Chadha added that platforms had failed to listen to workers. "Even though the Platforms (Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, etc.) chose not to listen to your voices, the people of this country and the government did," he said. "This is a small win, but an important win."

The draft Social Security Rules, released for public comment by the Union Labour Ministry on December 30, 2025, lay out eligibility thresholds for gig and platform workers to access social security benefits.

Under the draft rules, gig and platform workers must be engaged with an aggregator for at least 90 days in a financial year to qualify for benefits created by the Centre. For workers associated with multiple aggregators, the required engagement period rises to 120 days.

The notification was issued a day before a planned New Year’s Eve strike by gig and platform workers demanding higher payouts and improved working conditions. The rules define a worker as "engaged" if they have earned income for work carried out for an aggregator on a particular calendar day, regardless of the amount earned.

Gig workers' unions have been staging protests across the country over pay structures and conditions. According to estimates, India has more than 12.7 million gig workers, a number that government think tank NITI Aayog has said could rise to 23.5 million by 2029–30.