“What people don’t see is that I haven’t slept for two nights, and neither have those at the protest site,” said former Tarakan Janta Party spokesperson Wijeta Dahiya. File | Photo Credit: PTI
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) suspended its spokesperson Wijeta Dahiya after a video surfaced of him eating a hamburger during the police crackdown on the Chalo Sansad march.
In a statement, the CJP said Mr Dahiya’s behavior was not in line with the values of the movement.
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Responding to criticism, Mr Dahiya said people did not see that he had not slept for two nights, nor did those at the protest site. “You hold me accountable as if it were my job to be a protester.”
The CJP condemned Mr Dahiya’s “deeply insensitive actions”.
“We strongly condemn the deeply insensitive actions of our representative Wijeta Dahiya, whose videos emerged at a time when peaceful protesters and our team were facing brutal police violence. Such behavior is unacceptable, demonstrates a complete lack of judgment and is completely inconsistent with the values and principles of our movement,” the statement said.
“In response, we remove Wijeta Dahiya as spokesperson for the Tharakan Janta Party and relieve him of all official duties,” it added.
The controversy erupted after a video circulated on social media showing Mr Dahiya inside a fast food joint near Jantar Mantar as police used force against protesters trying to march towards Parliament. The video also shows the man asking why he (Mr Dahiya) was in the restaurant and not with the protesters.
In response to the criticism, Mr Dahiya posted a video of himself eating a hamburger and denied the controversy.
“Why did I eat a hamburger? This is a big problem today. So why does anyone eat a hamburger? He is hungry. He wants to eat a hamburger. That’s all. So, I was very hungry too. And when you eat something good, your mind feels good,” he said.
He also said people are ignoring the work done by the protesters.
“What people don’t see is that I haven’t slept for two nights, and neither have 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,” Mr Dahiya said in Hindi.
The controversy comes a day after police used batons and tear gas shells to disperse protesters during CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on Monday (July 20, 2026), organized to seek accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive exams and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Published – Jul 21, 2026 8:38 pm EST.