Got a scholarship, have loan to repay: CJP founder replies to questions on US education
Abhijeet Dipke responds to RTI activist who sought to know how former’s father sent him abroad to study at monthly salary of Rs60-65K
A day after an RTI activist sought to know how Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder’s father sponsored his foreign education on a government employee’s income, Abhijeet Dipke clarified that he studied in the US with the help of a scholarship and an education loan, which he still has to repay.
Got scholarship, took a loan: Dipke
“My education was funded by a scholarship provided by Boston University. And I had taken an education loan which I have to pay back,” Dipke said in an interview with senior journalist Barkha Dutt for MOJO.
Also read: ‘How did Dipke’s father fund son's foreign studies?’: RTI activist seeks probe on CJP
The CJP activist also furnished a copy of his acceptance letter at Boston University mentioning the scholarship he was granted for the programme.
On Monday (August 2), Surat-based RTI activist Amit Tiwari claimed that he has filed multiple complaints seeking a probe into the finances of Dipke’s father Bahgwanrao Dipke, who was a junior engineer at MIDC.
He also sought to know how a government employee earning Rs 60,000-65,000 per month could send his son to the US for higher education.
How will CJP fund future activities?
The RTI activist claimed that he has written to the Election Commission and the Central GST over the Rs 1 Crore fund pledged by senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal to set up a legal aid defence fund for CJP protesters facing police action and legal cases. He sought to know if CJP was a registered party, and if not, how it could accept the funding. He also demanded to know if Sibal will pay the 18 per cent GST on the Rs 1 Crore fund pledged by him.
Also read: Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka: Who are these ‘cockroaches’ who took on govt?
Answering how CJP plans to finance its activities going forward, Dipke, in the interview with Dutta, said the outfit will do crowdfunding and “will be very transparent about it”.
‘Even cops offered support’
Speaking about the July 20 protest in Delhi against exam paper leak, Dipke said the support for the protest came from ordinary citizens. This included police personnel, especially from the lower ranks, Dipke claimed.
“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 were taking orders from the Home Ministry,” he said.
Also read: ‘Don’t make me a hero, country ruined by making one person a hero’: Dipke after Pradhan quits
He said many personnel said they were sympathetic to CJP’s cause as their children were also preparing for NEET.
CJP hits out at RTI activist
CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur also lashed out at Tiwari, accusing him of targeting a private individual.
“Those seeking an RTI reply on the educational expenses of a private individual should also take a look at the PM Cares fund. Don’t worry, Modiji will forgive you,” she posted on X, hinting at the prime minister’s recent apology to protesters who hurled expletives at him at the agitation.