RTI activist questions CJP founder’s US education funding; Abhijeet Dipke says scholarship, loan funded studies

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has hit back at RTI activist Amit Tiwari after he sought an inquiry into how party founder Abhijeet Dipke financed his education in the United States. While the activist questioned the source of funds behind Dipke's overseas studies, the CJP dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, with both the party and Dipke defending the legitimacy of his finances.

The controversy began after Surat-based RTI activist Amit Tiwari filed complaints seeking investigations into the finances of Dipke's family, particularly his father, Bhagwanrao Dipke, a retired Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) junior engineer. Tiwari questioned how a government employee with a reported monthly salary of around ₹60,000 to ₹65,000 could afford to send his son to study in the US.

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"How could a junior engineer drawing a salary of around ₹60,000–65,000 per month fund an expensive education in the United States? The source of these funds should be investigated," Tiwari said while seeking an inquiry into the family's finances.

The RTI activist also questioned the legal status of the Cockroach Janta Party and sought a probe into the proposed legal aid fund announced for the organisation.

Responding to the allegations, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi Gaur accused the activist of selectively targeting Dipke instead of raising questions about larger public institutions.

"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 wrote in a post on X.

She alleged that the complaints were politically motivated and aimed at tarnishing Dipke's image rather than ensuring transparency.

Dipke also addressed the controversy in an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, firmly denying that his education was financed through unexplained family wealth. He said his studies at Boston University were supported through a scholarship and an education loan.

"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 displaying his scholarship letter during the interview.

The CJP founder also outlined how the party plans to raise funds 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.

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Dipke further recalled that during the anti-NEET paper leak protests, the movement received voluntary support from ordinary citizens, with people contributing essentials such as drinking water for protesters.

The scrutiny intensified after senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal announced a proposed ₹1 crore legal aid fund for protesters arrested during the anti-NEET agitation. Tiwari has questioned whether an unregistered political outfit can legally receive such funds and has sought inquiries by the Election Commission and tax authorities.