Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has addressed questions over the funding of his education in the United States, saying he financed it through a combination of a scholarship from Boston University and an education loan.
Dipke, who returned to India in June before leading one of the country’s biggest protest movements, earned a Master of Science in Public Relations from the College of Communication at Boston University in Massachusetts.
Dipke discusses scholarship, funding
“I received scholarship form Boston University and took an education loan to fund the rest of my expenses. I have to pay the loan,” Dipke told Barkha Dutt in an interview with MOJO.
To back his claim, Dipke shared a scholarship document with Dutt. According to the document, Boston University awarded him a Dean’s Scholarship worth $12,500 per semester for three semesters, amounting to a total of $37,500.
His clarification came after a Gujarat-based RTI activist sought details about how his foreign education was financed.
Dipke on Jantar Mantar protests
Dipke also spoke about the funding of the CJP during the Jantar Mantar protests and its future plans.
“We will raise funds through crowd-funding,” Dipke told Barkha Dutt, adding that the party would remain transparent about its finances.
He reiterated that people voluntarily came to the protest site to distribute food and claimed that several lower-ranking Delhi Police personnel privately supported the movement.
“I won’t lie to you, three people covering their faces with masks came to us and told us that they were thankful for the protests. Lower ranks were sympathetic towards us, the higher ranks were taking orders from Home Ministry,” he said.
Why questions on Dipke and funding
A Surat-based RTI activist has sought an investigation into the finances of Bhagwanrao Dipke, the father of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, questioning how a junior engineer’s salary could have funded his son’s higher education in the United States.
The activist, Amit Tiwari, has also approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), raising questions over the CJP’s legal status and the tax implications of the ₹1 crore legal defence fund announced by Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.
Tiwari said he had filed complaints with three different authorities, according to news agency ANI.
“I have filed a complaint at three different locations. I have complained against CJP at ECI. Regarding the ₹1 Crore fund by Kapil Sibal, I have complained to CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) that 18% GST be levied on it,” Tiwari said.
He said he had also written to the Maharashtra government, seeking an inquiry into the financial assets of Bhagwanrao Dipke, whom he identified as a Junior Engineer with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
“I have also complained to the Maharashtra Government that Bhagwanrao Dipke was a Junior Engineer at MIDC. So, if he received a salary of ₹60,000-65,000, how was he able to afford the education of his children in the US?” he said.
Tiwari further urged the Maharashtra government to investigate whether the family’s assets were disproportionate to its known sources of income.
“We have complained to the Maharashtra Government that this should be investigated and strict action should be taken if this is a case of disproportionate assets,” Tiwari added.
