A political row has broken out after BJP MP and actress Kangana Ranaut described Gen Z protesters as “generation gutter” in Instagram Stories posted on Monday.
Ranaut’s posts targeted demonstrators at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with her writing, “You call yourself cockroaches and look/behave like them as well,” and accusing them of “filth, garbage and ugliness.”
The comments were aimed at protesters affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party, whose nationwide agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak had led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The CJP responded on Tuesday, with spokesperson Saurav Das saying, “Even people within Kangana Ranaut’s own party don’t pay much attention to her or take her seriously, so why should we?”
Das said Ranaut lacked seriousness as a politician, referencing her own earlier admission that she had underestimated the workload of being an MP.
He further argued that Gen Z had contributed more to the country than Ranaut and had helped strengthen India’s democratic institutions.
CJP representatives said public officials should maintain dignity and choose their words carefully, adding that younger generations did not take Ranaut’s remarks seriously.
Congress and AIMIM leaders have also criticised Ranaut, who represents Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, since her comments went viral online.
AIMIM’s Waris Pathan called the remarks “highly condemnable,” saying Ranaut should apologise to the entire Gen Z and that “PM Modi should take cognisance of the kind of language his MPs use for Gen Z.” Congress leader Bhai Jagtap asked how Ranaut felt no remorse over the treatment of protesting students, while Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said “no one takes Kangana Ranaut seriously.”
Kangana Ranaut, a National Award-winning actress, has represented Mandi in Himachal Pradesh as a BJP Member of Parliament since 2024, alongside her continuing film career.
The exchange has drawn wide attention online, with Ranaut’s remarks and the CJP’s response both trending across social media platforms in the days since.
(Image: Photo: Sadhguru, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0)
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