The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday removed its spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya from the post after videos of him eating a burger went viral during a police crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar, a protest venue in central Delhi. The party called his conduct “deeply insensitive” and “unacceptable”.
“We strongly condemn the deeply insensitive actions of our spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya, whose videos surfaced while peaceful protestors and our team were facing brutal police violence. Such conduct is unacceptable, shows a complete lack of judgment, and is wholly inconsistent with the values and principles of our movement,” the party said in a statement, adding that Dahiya had been relieved of all official duties.
The controversy was triggered after videos circulating on social media allegedly showed Dahiya eating a burger even as CJP protesters were taking part in the Parliament march and facing police action.
Dahiya defends actions
Defending himself in a video response, Dahiya said the backlash over his meal ignored the hardships faced by those on the ground. “Why did I eat a burger? This is a big issue today. So why does anyone eat a burger? He is hungry. He wants to eat a burger. That’s it. So I was also very hungry. And when you eat something good, your mind feels good,” he said.
He further argued that critics were ignoring the physical and mental toll of the protest. “What people don’t see is that I haven’t slept for two nights. Neither have those who are part of the protest,” he said, maintaining that protesters should not be judged for taking a break to eat during the agitation.
The action comes as CJP continues its protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Police had earlier baton-charged and detained several protesters during a march to Parliament on Monday.
Govt wasted our time, says Dipke
Separately, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday questioned the government’s intentions in initiating talks with the outfit even as police action continued against protesters. Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the agitation over the NEET paper leak entered its 32nd day, Dipke alleged that a CJP delegation had effectively been held back during discussions.
“The government wasted our time. They invited our delegation. They seized their mobiles. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were, in a way, under house arrest at J P Nadda’s residence,” Dipke said. “The whole plan was to scatter the team, so that when there is chaos, no one is there. That is why they kept them sitting for five hours and wasted our time. You call for talks on one hand, and unleash batons on students on the other hand,” he alleged.