By BJP MP and actress Kangana Ranaut’s description of Gen Z protesters as “generation gutter” has drawn a sharp counterattack from the CJP.
Ranaut made the remarks in Instagram Stories posted on Monday, targeting demonstrators at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and writing, “You call yourself cockroaches and look/behave like them as well.”
She also accused the protesters, affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party, of “filth, garbage and ugliness” amid the group’s nationwide agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.
The protests had earlier led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, adding weight to the political backdrop of the exchange.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das hit back on Tuesday, 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 argued that Ranaut lacked seriousness as a politician, pointing to her own earlier admission that she had underestimated the workload of being an MP.
He said Gen Z had contributed more to the nation than Ranaut and had strengthened India’s democratic institutions through its activism.
CJP representatives said public figures should maintain dignity in their language, while Congress and AIMIM leaders have also criticised Ranaut over the remarks.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan called the comments “highly condemnable,” saying Ranaut should apologise to Gen Z and that “PM Modi should take cognisance of the kind of language his MPs use for Gen Z.” Congress’s Bhai Jagtap asked how Ranaut showed 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)
