Vijeta Dahiya, a former spokesperson for the Chhatra Jatiya Party (CJP), was fired from his post following a viral video showing him eating a burger.
The incident highlights internal tensions within the party and the volatility of social media reactions during political demonstrations in India.
Dahiya spoke about the controversy during a recent interview, describing a series of confrontations that occurred during a protest march toward Parliament in Delhi. He said he was confronted and pushed twice by people who were angry that he refused to call Mr. Premanand "Maharaj."
Following these clashes, a video of Dahiya eating a burger during the protest circulated online, leading to widespread memes and his subsequent removal from the party's spokesperson role. Dahiya defended his presence at the demonstration, noting the physical and mental toll of the event.
"I stayed at the protest site for the past two nights without any sleep, constantly on alert over fears that the police might evict us or that 'hooligans' could attack the protesters," Dahiya said.
According to Dahiya, he spent two nights [1] at the protest site. He described a state of constant vigilance regarding both law enforcement actions and potential attacks from outside agitators.
The CJP has not issued a detailed public rebuttal to Dahiya's account of the internal disputes regarding the use of titles for party leadership. The removal follows a pattern of rapid disciplinary actions triggered by viral content and public perception during high-stakes political marches.
“I was confronted and pushed twice by people who were angry that I refused to call 'Mr. Premanand' as 'Maharaj'”
This incident underscores the increasing influence of 'viral' optics over professional political roles in India. The combination of a cultural dispute over honorifics—specifically the term 'Maharaj'—and the perceived lack of austerity while eating a burger during a protest created a narrative of disconnect that the party felt compelled to address through termination.
