Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has said his education in the United States was funded through a scholarship from Boston University and an education loan, a day after an RTI activist sought an investigation into his family's finances.
Speaking in an interview with a senior journalist on their YouTube channel, Dipke rejected suggestions that his higher education abroad was financed through unexplained family wealth. He said he had received a scholarship from Boston University and had also taken an education loan, which he is repaying.
The remarks came after Surat-based RTI activist Amit Tiwari wrote to multiple authorities, including the Maharashtra government, seeking a probe into the finances of Dipke's father, Bhagwanrao Dipke, a retired Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) junior engineer. Tiwari questioned how a government employee allegedly earning around Rs 60,000-65,000 a month could have funded his children's education in the US.
During the interview, Dipke also said the CJP planned to rely on crowdfunding for its future activities and pledged transparency in raising public contributions.
On the anti-NEET paper leak agitation, Dipke claimed the movement was largely sustained through support from ordinary citizens, who donated essentials such as food and water to protesters. He also alleged that some Delhi Police personnel privately extended support to the agitation because their own children were preparing for the NEET examination.
The CJP's funding has come under increased scrutiny after senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal announced a Rs 1 crore legal aid fund for protesters arrested during the anti-NEET paper leak agitation.
Besides seeking a probe into the Dipke family's finances, Tiwari has approached the Election Commission of India, questioning the legal status of the CJP and seeking scrutiny of the legal defence fund announced by Sibal. He has also written to the Central GST authorities seeking clarification on the tax implications of the pledged legal aid.
Responding to the complaints, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur accused the RTI activist of selectively targeting Dipke and described the move as politically motivated.