A burger that was reportedly never even eaten has ended up consuming a political career. In a twist few could have predicted, “Burger Gate” has claimed its first political casualty, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday showing spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya the door after a viral fast-food stop overshadowed the party’s agitation, removing him from his post over what it called his “deeply insensitive” conduct.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, the CJP announced Dahiya’s removal, calling his conduct “deeply insensitive” and inconsistent with the movement’s principles.
“We strongly condemn the deeply insensitive actions of our spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya, whose videos surfaced while peaceful protesters 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. In response, we are removing Vijeta Dahiya as spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party and relieving him of all official duties,” the party said.
The controversy erupted after a video widely circulated on social media appeared to show Dahiya near a fast-food outlet close to Jantar Mantar shortly after the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march turned violent as protesters attempted to move towards Parliament.
In the video, the person recording confronts Dahiya, accusing him of abandoning fellow protesters at a time when they were allegedly being lathi-charged by police. “The protesters are being beaten with sticks, and you’re roaming around here? What kind of support is this?” the person is heard asking in Hindi.
Dahiya initially ignored the questions and continued walking before briefly stopping to respond, “You’re behaving like a joke.”
The footage quickly went viral, triggering widespread criticism online, with many questioning the optics of a senior party functionary appearing to be taking a food break while protesters were engaged in confrontations with security personnel.
Responding to the backlash, Dahiya defended himself in a video message, saying the outrage over a burger was misplaced and ignored the sacrifices made by activists participating in the protest. “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. I was also very hungry. And when you eat something good, your mind feels good,” he said.
He added that critics had ignored the fact that he and several other protesters had been working continuously without adequate rest.”What people don’t see is that I haven’t slept for two nights, just like many others participating in the protest,” he said.
“A person who is just eating and drinking, who has no interest in social issues or politics, nobody questions him for eating a burger. But if a protester, who is fighting for the country’s issues, eats a burger, suddenly everyone has a problem,” he said.