Check my scholarship letter: Dipke counters RTI activist over US education row
Just a day after an RTI activist sought a probe into Abhijeet Dipke's family finances, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder asserted that a Boston
Just a day after an RTI activist sought a probe into Abhijeet Dipke's family finances, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder asserted that a Boston University scholarship and an education loan paid for his studies in the US. Speaking to senior journalist Barkha Dutt, Dipke rejected suggestions that his higher education abroad was funded through unexplained family wealth. "My education was funded by a scholarship provided by Boston University. And I had taken some education loan which I have to pay back now," Dipke said, while also revealing his scholarship letter. Abhijeet Dipke provided a copy of his Boston University scholarship letter during the interview. Read Full Story On August 1, Surat-based Amit Tiwari filed complaints with 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 afford to send his children to the US for higher education. During the interview, Dipke also addressed questions over how the CJP plans to finance its activities in the future. "The CJP will do crowdfunding going forward where we will be asking money from people, and we will be very transparent about it," he said. Recalling the nationwide anti-NEET paper leak agitation, Dipke claimed much of the support came directly from ordinary citizens. "It should be very clear. The people who came to the protests saw that people were donating us food. The people brought their own water bottles," he said.
Dipke further claimed that some Delhi Police personnel had privately expressed support for the movement. "Some people from the Delhi Police came to us and said, 'We will provide you with water bottles, but do not reveal our identities.' They said some of their children were also preparing for NEET, and they were sympathetic towards the cause, and that's why they wanted to give us water bottles," he alleged. The CJP's finances have come under increased scrutiny after Kapil Sibal announced a Rs 1 crore legal aid fund for protesters arrested during the anti-NEET paper leak agitation. The RTI activist has also approached the Election Commission of India over the legal status of the CJP and sought scrutiny of Sibal's aid.
Besides Dipke, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur also hit back at the RTI activist, accusing him of selectively targeting a private individual. "Those filing RTIs over a private individual's education expenses should also look at the PM CARES Fund. Modi ji will forgive you, don't worry," Gaur said in a post on X. As questions over the outfit's funding and legal status intensified, the CJP dismissed the complaints as politically motivated. Ends
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