Two days after the “burger row”, Vegeta Dahiya responded to his removal from his position as spokesman for the Cockroach Janta Party, claiming that he was “made a scapegoat” in the situation.
The suburb recalled a call from CJP leader Abhijit Deepki before leaving for Jantar Mantar, where the latter asked him not to come to the protest site and informed him of his dismissal.
The former CJP spokesman said he was “heartbroken” after his dismissal, adding that he had been at the protest site for the past two nights in anticipation of a police crackdown. He further said that he strongly defended Debki when the CJP organizer faced criticism for his ‘kachori’ video or standing on a truck during the protest march.
The controversy erupted after a video, whose authenticity has not been independently verified, purported to show the suburb at a popular Delhi fast food restaurant during Monday’s Parliament rally organized by the CJP. The video went viral, with social media users questioning the suburb’s absence from the protest site while protesters were allegedly charged and detained by police.
“I think Debaki’s call was an expression of solidarity.”
In a video message he posted on his Instagram account, Dahiya said he encountered two accidents while traveling to and from Jantar Mantar, after which he received several phone calls from friends and family members asking him to “be safe.”
“You were fired from CJP, how did you like that? To tell you the truth, my heart broke. In fact, 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, the manawadis came there and started harassing,” Dahiya said in the video.
Read also | ‘I was hungry’: CJP sacks spokesman Vegeta Dahiya after he defends quitting protest march and eating burgers instead
He added: “I started receiving calls from my friends asking me if there was any problem and asking me to be safe. I received messages expressing solidarity with me.” Dahiya said Dibek also called him after the incident, adding that he initially thought it was to offer support.
“Suddenly I saw Abhijeet calling me, and at that time I was getting ready to go to the protest site. So I thought he also called me to assure me that I don’t need to worry, and tell me ‘we are in this together’,” Dahiya said. However, he said that during the phone call, Debke and CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka asked him not to visit the Jantar Mantar protest site.
“Suddenly, both Ashutosh and Abhijeet said to Vigeeta, ‘Please don’t come.’ When I asked what happened, they said, ‘No, the burger thing happened,’” Dahiya said.
“They made me a scapegoat when I was exposing the propaganda.”
In the video, Dahiya said he was “actively debunking propaganda” against the CJP and defending Debke when he was removed as spokesperson. “When I was debunking the propaganda, I got a call that my teammates were making me a scapegoat. So I felt bad,” Dahiya said.
He said he had “strongly defended” Debke and the CJP on several occasions. “If this is the problem, then a video of you eating kachori also went viral. I have defended you strongly. In fact even now people are saying that you stood on the truck. In this too, you defended by saying that it was you who was slapped. I said, ‘I have also received death threats, harassment and police brutality, but you hold the AKP responsible,'” Dahiya asserted.
Dahiya claimed that he was at the protest site for two nights before his removal, and was present at Jantar Mantar until the protest march to Parliament began, saying that Debke was aware of his participation.
“Trolls may be peddling nonsense, but you know, I was there for the last two nights thinking there might be a police crackdown. I was moving all over the site and did not sit down for a minute. Our walk was supposed to start at 9 am, but it got delayed. Even then I was there on the site,” Dahiya said, adding that he confronted Debki over the call.
Dahiya added, “We thought people should stay here (at Jantar Mantar) so that the police do not evacuate the site. But then we were active, so we participated in the march as well. Sheetal and Sourav, who were rushing, were with me. We went to the Kerala House area as our eyes were burning due to tear gas. I asked Abhijeet, ‘Can you see this properly?'” Dahiya added.
