NEW DELHI, July 21, 2026 — In a dramatic twist to the ongoing protests in the national capital, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has abruptly removed its spokesperson, Vijeta Dahiya, from all official duties. The immediate dismissal follows a massive public backlash over viral videos showing Dahiya at a fast-food outlet while his fellow party members and protesters faced brutal police baton charges.
The controversy, which social media users are quickly dubbing “Burger Gate,” unfolded against the backdrop of the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march from Jantar Mantar. Demonstrators were marching toward Parliament to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET (UG) 2026 paper leak issue when clashes with Delhi Police erupted.
“Deeply Insensitive” Conduct
As footage of the police crackdown on peaceful protesters dominated the news cycle, a contrasting video began circulating online. The clip showed Dahiya near a Burger King outlet in a mall close to the protest site. In the video, bystanders confront him, questioning how he could abandon the protest site while his colleagues were being lathi-charged by the police.
On Tuesday, the CJP issued a strongly-worded statement on X (formerly Twitter) to distance itself from Dahiya and announce his sacking.
“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,” the party stated. “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.”
Dahiya’s Defiant Defense
Rather than issuing an apology, Dahiya took to Instagram to defend his actions, which further fueled the online outrage. In a video addressing the backlash, he claimed he had been working tirelessly for the movement for over a month and had barely slept for the past two nights.
Dismissing the criticism as “nonsense thinking,” Dahiya maintained that he had every right to eat when hungry. “You haven’t elected me. I’m not accountable to people,” he stated, adding that he was participating in the movement voluntarily and not as a paid representative.
“Yes, I will eat the burger,” he boldly proclaimed in his video, though he later added a caption clarifying that he ultimately chose not to eat the burger because he realized it contained refined flour (maida) and trans fats.
Despite his explanations, the optics of the situation proved too damaging for the CJP, leading to his swift removal from the party’s leadership structure as the Monsoon Session protests continue.
Published by True Roots Media Network