‘How did Dipke’s father fund son's foreign studies?’: RTI activist seeks probe on CJP

A Surat-based RTI activist has demanded a probe into the finances of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke’s father, seeking to know how the retired government employee was able to fund his son’s foreign education.

Questions on foreign study funding

Ami Tiwari, the activist, says he has written to the Maharashtra government, seeking a probe into the financial status of Dipke's father Bhagwanrao Dipke, who was a junior engineer at MIDC, as he could send his son abroad for higher studies.

Also read: ‘Don’t make me a hero, country ruined by making one person a hero’: Dipke after Pradhan quits

“So, if he received a salary of Rs 60,000-65,000, how was he able to afford the education of his children in the US? 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,” ANI quoted Tiwari as saying.

Can CJP accept Rs 1 Cr donation?

The development comes days after senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal pledged a fund of Rs 1 Crore to set up a legal defence fund for CJP protesters facing police action and legal cases over the July 20 protest in Delhi.

Tiwari also said he had written to the Election Commission and the Central GST over the fund.

He asked how the CJP can accept donations when it is not a registered party.

"The Cockroach Janta Party is an unregistered entity but is operating as a political party....If Rs 1 crore has been pledged to it as a legal defence fund, then the EC should verify whether the CJP is registered with it under section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951," PTI quoted the activist as saying.

Also read: How CJP protest spread to UK, USA, Europe, got Indian diaspora's support

"If not registered, then its operation under the name of a political party and collection/receipt of funds may require examination," he said.

Activist decries verbal attack on PM

In his letter to the CBEC, Tiwari wrote that it should check whether Sibal was going to pay 18 percent GST over the Rs 1 crore he had pledged for the legal defence of CJP protesters.

Tiwari also lashed out at the CJP, stating that the movement, which initially started by criticising the NEET paper leak, went off the tangent, with several protesters using expletives against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read: After Centre, CJP confronts BJP-ruled states, warns Bihar, Bengal over protesters' arrests

"We respect our elders. It was fine until you were carrying out the CJP movement and protesting over NEET. But in the middle of the agitation, you started abusing Prime Minister Modi and his late mother. You also spoke foul on his ties to foreign leaders. We have complained against all of this. It is all wrong," ANI quoted Tiwari as saying.