New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha made a strong pitch in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, March 23, 2026, for the regulation and rationalization of mobile data, calling for an end to what he described as the “unethical” forfeiture of unused daily data. Raising the matter during the Zero Hour, Chadha argued that mobile data should be treated as a consumer’s digital property, similar to other paid utilities like petrol or electricity.
Chadha criticized the current policy where telecom giants reset daily data limits (such as 1.5GB or 2GB) at midnight, causing any unused portion to expire despite being fully paid for by the customer. “This is not an accident; this is policy,” he contended, asserting that consumers are effectively subjected to “deceit” and unequal treatment in the digital domain.
Key Demands for Telecom Reform:
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Data Rollover: All telecom operators should allow unused daily data to be carried forward into the next day’s limit rather than being erased at midnight.
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Billing Adjustments: If a consumer consistently under-utilizes their data over multiple cycles, there should be a mechanism for a discount or adjustment on the following month’s recharge amount.
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Data Transfer: Users should be permitted to transfer their unused data to friends and family, treating it as a transferable digital asset.
This intervention follows Chadha’s earlier criticism on March 11 regarding the “28-day recharge cycle,” which he labeled a “scam” that forces consumers to pay for 13 recharges in a 12-month calendar year. He has also been a vocal advocate for maintaining essential services—such as incoming calls and OTP messages—for at least one year after a plan expires, noting that 90% of India’s 125 crore mobile users rely on prepaid connections and risk being cut off from banking and government services in emergencies.
By advocating for these reforms, Chadha aim to ensure that as India transitions into a more robust “Digital India,” access to connectivity is not dependent on “data that disappears.”
