NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, in an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, said he received a scholarship from Boston University and also took an education loan to pursue his studies in the United States amid questions raised by RTI activist Amit Tiwari over his education expenses.Dipke’s remarks came after Tiwari sought an investigation into the finances of Bhagwanrao Dipke, Abhijeet Dipke’s father, questioning how a junior engineer’s salary could have supported his son’s higher education in the US.Addressing the controversy, Dipke said his education was funded through a combination of a scholarship and a loan. He also said that CJP plans to rely on crowdfunding and will maintain transparency while seeking financial support from people.“The CJP will do crowdfunding where we will ask people for money, and we will be very transparent,” Dipke said.Earlier, Tiwari had filed complaints with multiple authorities, including the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), over CJP’s legal status and the tax implications of a Rs 1 crore fund pledged by Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal for the organisation.On Thursday, Tiwari said he had filed complaints at three different locations. “I have filed a complaint at three different locations. I have complained against CJP at ECI. Regarding the Rs 1 Crore fund by Kapil Sibal, I have complained to CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) that 18% GST be levied on it,” Tiwari said. He also said a complaint has been submitted to the Maharashtra government seeking an inquiry into the financial assets of Bhagwanrao Dipke, who he claimed was a Junior Engineer with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). “I have also complained to the Maharashtra Government that Bhagwanrao Dipke was a Junior Engineer at MIDC. 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?” he said. “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,” Tiwari added.
