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Vijeta Dahiya to make a comeback in CJP? Abhijeet Dipke says ‘will think about it but…’
Vijeta Dahiya was dropped as CJP spokesperson after videos allegedly showed him at a fast-food outlet during clashes between police and Delhi protesters.
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Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and national convenor Abhijeet Dipke has said the party leadership may consider bringing former spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya back, but acknowledged that the incident which led to his removal was “insensitive”.
Dahiya was dropped as the CJP spokesperson after videos allegedly showed him at a popular fast-food outlet as demonstrators were reportedly being lathi-charged during protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
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Vijeta Dahiya to make a comeback in CJP?
Dipke described Dahiya as “a nice person”, but said the “timing was wrong” when the incident that resulted in his removal took place.
“We will think about that, but what happened that day was a bit insensitive,” he told BBC News Hindi in an interview.
He added, “He is a really nice person, but the timing was wrong and that shouldn't have happened.”
Dahiya said he was ‘made a scapegoat’
A video purportedly showing Dahiya at a fast-food outlet went viral on social media, raising questions over why he was not at the protest site.
In a statement shared on X, the CJP said the videos surfaced when "peaceful protestors and our team were facing brutal police violence", and said Dahiya's actions did not reflect the values of the movement.
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After being removed from the CJP, Dahiya said he was “made a scapegoat” over the incident.
The former CJP spokesperson said his “heart broke” when he was sacked. He also said he had spent the previous two nights at the protest site, in case the police launched a crackdown.
In a video post, Dahiya said he had been “actively debunking propaganda” against the CJP and defending Dipke when he was removed as spokesperson.
“When I was actively debunking propaganda, I got a call that my team mates had made me a scapegoat. So I felt bad,” Dahiya said.
He had earlier said that critics were overlooking the sacrifices of people taking part in the protest.
"What people don't see is that I haven't slept for two nights. Neither have those who are part of the protest," he said, adding that he had returned home to shower after leaving the march and later stopped to get food.
