Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday reacted to singer Mary Millben's allegations of the outfit being funded by donors in the US. In an X post, the CJP founder asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “seeking support of Americans to discredit Indians".
He further questioned the right of foreign nationals to interfere in India’s internal affairs, saying Indians were “more than capable” of dealing with their own issues.
“Why is Modi seeking the support of Americans to discredit his own countrymen? Who gave foreign nationals the right to interfere in India’s internal affairs?" Dipke wrote.
“We are more than capable of dealing with our own issues. We don’t need outsiders interfering in our country’s affairs,” he added.
Dipke’s reaction comes hours after Millben alleged that CJP was being funded by donors in the US who oppose PM Modi and urged young Indians to organise and peacefully protest against the outfit.
“To all the beautiful young patriots in India: This is not the time to be silent,” Millben wrote in a post on X, naming Abhijeet Dipke and the CJP. She alleged that they were “being funded by donors in the US who are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and your future under his leadership”.
“Do not fear, my young patriots. Your Prime Minister, who has served India for 25 years, 12 years as Prime Minister, elected three consecutive terms, is not going to bow to disruptive forces from my country,” she wrote.
Millben further alleged that the donors followed a pattern globally of targeting conservative leaders. “Find a US educated person from the country, radicalize them, send them back to the country, and fund them to start chaos and destruction,” she wrote, adding that while such efforts had not succeeded, they had “impacted the development and governance of the country”.
Millben called for a new voice in India and said that it was time for people “born, raised, educated on the soil of India, to RISE UP, organize, and peacefully protest the disruptive spirit of the Cockroach Party”.
“There should always be a counter movement to uphold democracy and freedom,” she added, ending her post with the appeal: “Rise up, young patriots! Rise up!”
This is not the first time the singer has supported PM Modi. On completion of his 25 years in public service, Millben describing him as a “shining beacon of the Indian dream”. She also called for unity across communities to mark the milestone.
Millben had criticised those opposing an upcoming Madison Square Garden event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in August this year.
This is also not the first time CJP has been accused of foreign funding. Earlier, this year, a Surat-based RTI activist has sought an investigation into the finances of Bhagwanrao Dipke, the father of Dipke, questioning how a junior engineer's salary could have funded his son's higher education in the United States.
Dipke had clarified it saying he financed it through a combination of a scholarship from Boston University and an education loan.