NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party has removed its spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya after viral videos surfaced showing him during the police crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar, calling 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.Dahiya has been removed as spokesperson and relieved of all official duties, the party said.
Controversial viral video
The clip, which went viral on social media, showed Dahiya at a burger outlet in a mall near the protest site. A group of people can be heard confronting him and questioning why he wasn’t with the protesters, asking: “You were eating a burger while we were protesting?”The exact timing of the video and the circumstances in which it was recorded could not be independently verified.In an Instagram video addressing the backlash, Dahiya said he had been working continuously for the movement for around one and a half months and had barely slept for the past two nights. He questioned why eating a burger had become such a major issue. In the caption, he also made a comment stating that: “By the way, I didnt eat the burger, because I felt that it has maida and transfats, and maybe I should eat elsewhere.”“No one pays me to participate in the protest,” he said, adding that he was doing what he was doing for the country. “Yes, I will eat the burger,” he said.Before this incident Dahiya had also come under fire on social media for his views on transgender people and stating that most women are ‘not political’.The move comes as the CJP continues its protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities. Police had earlier resorted to a baton charge and detained several protesters during a march to Parliament on Monday.