‘Bali ka Bakra bana diya’: Vijeta Dahiya released a new video and said he is heartbroken after CJP ‘fired’ him over a burger row. Today’s news

Vijeta Dahiya, who was removed as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson earlier this week, said he was made a “scapegoat” by his teammates. He said if he believed the move would benefit their protest, then so be it.

The CJP removed Vijet Dahiya as its spokesperson on Tuesday (June 21) after a video showed him eating a hamburger during a police crackdown on the organisation’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march.

The CJP he then said: “We strongly condemn the deeply insensitive actions of our spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya, whose videos surfaced while peaceful protesters and our team faced brutal police violence.”

Read also | A viral video shows Vijeta Dahiya being confronted over a ‘burger break’ argument.

“Such conduct is unacceptable, shows a complete lack of judgment and is completely against the values ​​and principles of our movement. In response, we remove Vijet Dahiya as the spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party and relieve him of all official duties,” the CJP posted on X on July 21.

Dahiya shared a new video

Responding to the criticism, Dahiya shared a news video on Wednesday in which he said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke called him on the day of the protest march and asked him not to join it. According to her account, Dipke told Dahiya not to participate because of the viral video. He said he was left heartbroken.

In a video message posted on his Instagram account, Dahiya said he faced two incidents on his way to and from Jantar Mantar after which he received several calls from friends and family members asking him to be “safe”.

In the video, he said, “You were sacked from CJP, how did you like it? To tell you the truth, it broke my heart. Actually two such incidents happened to you in one day. Once when I was returning home from Jantar Mantar, I was in the metro and then when I was returning to Jantar Mantar, Manuwadi came there and started heckling.” That video also went viral.”

“My friends called me to ask if there was any trouble and asked me to be safe. I got messages expressing solidarity with me,” Dahiya said, adding that Dipke also called him after the incident. At first he thought it was about providing support.

“Suddenly I saw Abhijeet calling me and at that time I was just about to go to the protest site. So I thought he too called me to reassure me not to worry and told me ‘we are in this together’,” said Dahiya.

However, he said that after a phone call, Dipke and CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka asked him not to visit the Jantar Mantar protest site. “And then suddenly Ashutosh and Abhijeet both said Vijet, please don’t go. When I asked what happened, they said ‘No, no, the problem happened because of the burger video’,” said Dahiya.

Dahiya said he defended Dipke and “actively exposed propaganda” against the CJP.

“When I was actively exposing the propaganda, my team mates called me saying that I was being made a scapegoat. So I felt bad,” said Dahiya.

“If it was about this (burger), then the video of you (Dipke) eating Kachori also went viral. And I defended you so strongly. And in fact till now people are saying that you were standing on top of the truck. I defended myself on that too, saying you were the one who got slapped. I said, ‘I also got death threats and taunts and arrests.’

The burger controversy

The controversy erupted after a video circulating on social media showed Dahija at a fast food restaurant near Jantar Mantar while police used force against protesters attempting to march towards Parliament.

The clip also shows a person questioning why he (Dahiya) was at the restaurant instead of being with the protesters.

In response to the criticism, Dahiya posted a video of himself eating a hamburger and dismissed the controversy.

“Why did I eat a burger? That’s the big deal today. So why does anyone eat a burger? They’re hungry. They want to eat a burger. That’s it. So I was very hungry too. And when you eat something good, you feel good,” he said.

He also said that people are ignoring the work done by the protestors.

“People don’t see that I haven’t slept for two nights, just like those at the protest site. You are holding me accountable as if it was my job to be a protester. You didn’t elect me to this position,” Dahiya said in Hindi.

The controversy comes a day after police on Monday used batons and tear gas shells to disperse protesters during the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, organized to demand accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.