Maharashtra, India: Fresh off leading a high-decibel protest over the NEET paper leaks, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke now finds himself targeted over the funding for his studies abroad, which he asserted was facilitated through a scholarship and an education loan.
In an exclusive interview with PTI at his home in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Monday, Dipke also dismissed exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen's comment drawing a parallel between the CJP's Delhi protest against exam irregularities and the 2024 movement that led to the ousting of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government.
"Protests in Bangladesh, Nepal are being used to defame us; we are different," he asserted.
He remained unfazed by the Right to Information (RTI) query into his educational expenses and finances, insisting that he has not faced any personal attacks so far.
A Surat-based RTI activist on Saturday said he had sought a probe into the finances of Dipke's father, a retired government employee who sent his son abroad for higher education.
"Those who wish to investigate my education funding are free to do so," the 30-year-old said.
"I received a scholarship from Boston University, and for the remaining amount, I took an education loan. It is still pending and has to be repaid. The fight is not personal," he said.
Dipke, who earned a Master of Science degree in Public Relations from the College of Communication at Boston University, returned to India in June to lead an agitation against the NEET-UG paper leak that saw young people from different parts of the country converge in Delhi to demand reforms and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister.
The movement, which received an enthusiastic response from Gen Z across the country, led to Pradhan's resignation last week.
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The CJP's movement spread across various cities in the country, but demonstrations turned violent, with police cracking down on student protesters in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bihar, registering cases against them.
Dipke expressed hope that the Maharashtra government would withdraw the pending police cases against student protesters.
"Maharashtra has always led the nation through its progressive legacy," he noted.
"I hope the state government will not harass any student. They have done nothing wrong — they were only fighting for their future," he said.
Wading into the controversy surrounding 15-year-old Ruchika Singh, who was accused of making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the protest in Delhi, Dipke strongly opposed criminalising comments made by minors.
"If registering an FIR and deploying the entire state machinery against a 15-year-old is the standard, then FIRs should also be filed against political leaders and IT cell members," he said, citing past controversial remarks by senior BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
He further alleged that an FIR should also be registered against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly using the phrase "Rs 50 crore ki girlfriend" in one of his past speeches and against BJP IT cell members who abuse and threaten women online.
Education has become unaffordable and inaccessible for ordinary people in India, Dipke claimed, adding that the responsibility of the CJP had increased after the recent protests and that the party would soon expand its team.
