CJP News: 'I wear shoes worth ₹30,000' – What Abhijit Dipke told about funding

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijit Dipke defended his ability to fund his travels and the movement after being questioned about the source of the organisation’s funding ahead of its planned protest in Mumbai.

At a press conference on Thursday, Dipke was asked whether CJP, which has been demanding transparency from the Election Commission, could also disclose the source of its own funding.

How did Dipke respond to it?

“I feel that if I make our funding public, will that somehow fix the elections? I’m sorry, but there is no logic to this question. What is the connection between our funding and the irregularities taking place in the Election Commission?” he said, questioning the relevance of the query.

The funding question also brought up scrutiny over Dipke’s personal expenses, including his footwear and frequent travel.

“There was a lot of discussion about my shoes. I wear shoes worth ₹30,000, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I can afford them,” Dipke said.

He also referred to questions about how he had managed to travel across different states and abroad.

“People were quite curious when I was travelling in the US about how I was managing to visit every state,” he said.

“If I can take a flight from India to the US, then I can certainly travel from Mumbai to Delhi,” Dipke added.

CJP protest over Gyanesh Kumar resignation

India's “Cockroach” youth movement has called for new protests in Mumbai today, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, over a contentious revision of voter lists.

Separately, police prevented student and civil society groups from gathering Friday at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi, to also demand the commissioner's resignation. Police detained some opposition leaders heading to the site, which had been barricaded off.

Dipke briefly detained

Dipke was detained at Marine Drive police station for a brief while on Thursday after he was spotted with placards along the iconic promenade.

Dipke had gathered at Marine Drive along with a group of supporters holding placards, an official said.

"A team which included a woman inspector approached Dipke and escorted him to Marine Drive police station in a van. The woman officer asked him about his identity and hometown during the ride to the police station," the official said.

Dipke and his supporters were kept at the police station's waiting area. After being asked to meet senior officials, Dipke exited the police station minutes later smiling.