Boston University Education Was Funded By Scholarship: Dipke's Reply To RTI Activist

The RTI activist questioned how a government employee, allegedly earning a monthly salary of around Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000, could afford to send his children to study in the US.

Dipke claimed the CJP movement was sustained largely through support from ordinary citizens.

Source : ANI

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has said his higher education in the United States was financed through a scholarship and an education loan, a day after an RTI activist sought an investigation into his family's finances. In an interview with senior journalist Barkha Dutt, Dipke dismissed allegations that his overseas education was funded through undisclosed family wealth.

"My education was funded by a scholarship from Boston University. I also took an education loan, which I still have to repay," Dipke said, while displaying a copy of his scholarship letter during the interview.

His remarks came after Surat-based RTI activist Amit Tiwari filed complaints on August 1 with several authorities, including the Maharashtra government, seeking an inquiry into the finances of Dipke's father, Bhagwanrao Dipke, a retired junior engineer with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).

Tiwari questioned how a government employee, allegedly earning a monthly salary of around Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000, could afford to send his children to study in the US.

Addressing questions about the Cockroach Janta Party's future funding, Dipke said the organisation would rely on public contributions and maintain transparency.

"The CJP will raise funds through crowdfunding. We will seek donations from people and remain completely transparent about how the money is used," he said.

Referring to the anti-NEET paper leak protests, Dipke claimed the movement was sustained largely through support from ordinary citizens.

"People who visited the protest site saw that supporters were bringing us food. Many even carried their own water bottles," he said.

Dipke also alleged that some Delhi Police personnel privately extended support to the agitation.

"Some police personnel approached us and said they wanted to provide water bottles but requested that their identities not be disclosed. They told us their own children were preparing for NEET and they sympathised with our cause," he claimed.

The CJP's finances have come under greater public scrutiny after Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal announced a Rs 1 crore legal aid fund for protesters facing cases linked to the anti-NEET agitation.

The RTI activist has also approached the Election Commission, seeking clarity on the CJP's legal status and requesting scrutiny of the legal aid fund announced by Sibal.

Backing Dipke, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur accused the RTI activist of selectively targeting a private individual.

"Those filing RTIs about a private person's education expenses should also ask questions about the PM CARES Fund. Modi ji will forgive you, don't worry," Gaur wrote in a post on X.

As questions over the party's finances and legal standing continue, the CJP has maintained that the complaints are politically motivated and aimed at discrediting the movement.