‘Anarchists’ vs ‘dignity’: Mohandas Pai, Raghav Chadha trade barbs over gig worker strikes

A sharp war of words has erupted between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha and Mohandas Pai, former Infosys CFO and chairman of Manipal Global Education, reflecting the widening fault lines in India’s debate over gig work, platform accountability and labour rights. 

The exchange followed nationwide protests by delivery partners of major food and quick-commerce platforms, who went on strike demanding better pay, safety protections and social security. While Chadha framed the protests as a legitimate call for dignity and fairness, Pai dismissed the demands as unrealistic and accused AAP of promoting “anarchist” methods. 

'Gig work is flexible, not permanent employment' 

Responding to Chadha’s criticism of platform companies, Pai took to X (formally twitter) to reject what he called “absurd claims” and warned against threatening businesses or halting operations. 

“Gig work is not permanent regular work. It gives flexibility — people can work, not work at their choice, choose their area of work, their time of work,” Pai wrote, arguing that this flexibility is precisely what makes gig platforms viable. 

Pai said delivery workers already receive accident insurance, medical insurance and incentives, and questioned demands for a fixed minimum income of ₹40,000 per month. Instead, he suggested that gig workers be integrated into government social security schemes meant for the economically weaker sections. 

Calling on the Centre, Pai urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s government to include gig workers in existing welfare programmes, while criticising strikes and alleged intimidation of workers who chose not to participate. “Striking, threatening workers who want to work, making propaganda against employers, creating hate is not the way,” he wrote. 

'Flexibility without accountability is control' 

Chadha, however, doubled down on his criticism of platform companies, arguing that the strike exposed deeper structural issues in the gig economy. In a lengthy post, the Rajya Sabha MP said delivery partners were demanding “basic dignity, fair pay, safety, predictable rules and social security,” not disruption. 

“The response from the Platform was to call them ‘miscreants’ and turn a labour demand into a law and order narrative. That is not just insulting, it is dangerous,” Chadha wrote. 

He rejected the argument that continued participation in gig work proves fairness, comparing it to historical systems of exploitation that endured because workers lacked alternatives. “When one day’s income decides rent, electricity, or a child’s school fee, logging in on a strike day is not approval. It is survival,” he said. 

Chadha also raised concerns over opaque pay algorithms, sudden changes in incentives, and the absence of grievance redressal. According to him, platforms exert “control without accountability” by deactivating workers without hearings and penalising them for factors beyond their control, such as traffic, weather or app glitches. 

Safety, transparency & political undercurrents 

Beyond wages, Chadha flagged road safety as a public concern, arguing that delivery timelines and incentive structures reward speed at the cost of human life. “When we celebrate a 10-minute delivery, we should ask who pays the price when something goes wrong,” he said. 

The MP also alleged a coordinated public relations campaign by platform companies to counter criticism, claiming influencers and talking points appeared simultaneously online. “The 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 wrote. 

Dismissing personal attacks against him, Chadha said the focus should remain on workers’ living conditions, not on the lifestyles of those raising the issue. “If we have been given more, our duty is to demand fairness for those who are given less,” he added.