BJP Responds to Dipke's PM CARES Appeal, Targets Kejriwal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back at Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke after he appealed for the use of the PM CARES Fund to improve government schools in rural areas. Dipke had raised concerns about the condition of schools during his ongoing “School Thik Karo” campaign and questioned why money lying in the fund could not be used to address basic infrastructure problems. The BJP’s Goa unit responded by accusing Dipke of making claims without understanding the stated purpose of the fund. The party also brought Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal into the political exchange, alleging that Dipke’s campaign had backing from the AAP.

The Goa BJP said the PM CARES Fund is intended for emergency and disaster relief and not for regular government spending on school infrastructure. In a post on social media, the party criticised Kejriwal and said he may have taught his political associates about political campaigning but had failed to explain the basic facts surrounding the fund. The BJP's response came after Dipke publicly suggested that a significant portion of the fund’s corpus could instead be directed towards schools in rural parts of the country. The party maintained that the fund has a specific purpose and questioned the basis of Dipke’s proposal.

The BJP also challenged Dipke to travel to Punjab, which is governed by the Aam Aadmi Party, and personally examine the condition of government schools there. The Goa unit questioned claims surrounding the state’s “world-class schools” and suggested that Dipke should first assess the facilities available in Punjab before criticising the Centre over the use of the PM CARES Fund. The remarks reflect the growing political confrontation between the BJP and Dipke, whose public campaign around government schools has attracted attention in recent weeks. The BJP has previously accused the CJP of being closely associated with the AAP, while Dipke has continued to focus on education and local infrastructure issues.

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Dipke had said that the PM CARES Fund contained nearly ₹8,500 crore and argued that the money could help address the shortage of basic facilities in government schools. His comments followed the release of audited figures showing that the fund’s corpus increased from ₹7,173.03 crore in 2023-24 to ₹8,452.07 crore in 2024-25, an increase of about 17.8 per cent. Dipke questioned why schools that lack basic facilities should be told that there are insufficient funds when a large amount of money remains in the emergency relief fund. He specifically pointed to the condition of rural schools and said the available resources should be considered when addressing problems faced by children.

The CJP founder has been conducting the “School Thik Karo” campaign, during which he visits government schools in villages and documents problems related to infrastructure and essential services. According to Dipke, some schools visited during the campaign lacked adequate access to drinking water and other basic facilities. He has used these observations to call for greater attention to school infrastructure, arguing that children should not have to study in institutions without essential amenities. His latest appeal for the PM CARES Fund came in the context of these visits and was framed as a demand for greater public investment in rural education.

The political exchange has therefore brought together two separate issues: the condition of government schools and the intended use of the PM CARES Fund. Dipke has argued that the fund’s large corpus should be considered as a possible source of support for schools facing serious infrastructure shortages, while the BJP has maintained that the fund is designed for emergency and disaster-related assistance. The BJP has also sought to shift the discussion towards the performance of AAP-ruled Punjab on education. As the dispute continues, the debate is likely to remain focused on how public funds should be used and whether rural schools require additional financial support to improve basic facilities.

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