Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to investigate allegations of foreign funding and publicly disclose the findings. Speaking in Nagpur, Dipke also accused the Centre of restricting democratic protests. Meanwhile, American singer Mary Millben alleged that US-based donors were funding CJP, but provided no supporting evidence for her claims.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over questions about its funding and alleged foreign support, with founder Abhijeet Dipke challenging the government to substantiate its concerns.
Agencies Flag Funding Concerns
The Free Press Journal, on October 14, had reported that central agencies flagged concerns over possible external interference, opaque funding and coordinated disinformation campaigns. In fact, media reports too have even attributed to senior advocate and former Solicitor General Harish Salve concerns about possible foreign funding and external interference linked to the CJP movement. He reportedly questioned whether external forces could be seeking to fuel political instability in India, drawing parallels with developments in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
CJP Founder Demands Public Probe
On Wednesday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was questioned about alleged foreign funding and support when he arrived in Nagpur. “The Home Minister should order a probe and make its findings public,” Dipke said, putting the onus on the government to establish the facts behind questions over the CJP’s funding and alleged foreign links.
Dipke visited Deekshabhoomi, the historic site where Dr B R Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with thousands of followers on October 14, 1956, to pay tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution on Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din.
While speaking to reporters during his Nagpur visit, Dipke questioned the action against protesters, claiming that even waving the national flag had become grounds for severe action, with people allegedly being sent to judicial custody for five days. Further accusing the Centre of curbing democratic protests and constitutional freedoms, Dipke referred to recent development as an “unofficial Emergency”. He further claimed that the restrictions he was referring to were unprecedented, arguing that even during the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975, such a situation had not occurred.
