BJP MP and actress Kangana Ranaut’s remark calling Gen Z protesters “generation gutter” has sparked a counterattack from the CJP.
Ranaut made the comments 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,” while accusing them of “filth, garbage and ugliness.”
The remarks were aimed at protesters linked to the Cockroach Janta Party, whose nationwide agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak had led to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das dismissed the comments 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 said Ranaut lacked seriousness as a politician, pointing to her own admission that she had underestimated the workload of being a Member of Parliament.
He added that Gen Z had contributed more to the nation than Ranaut and had helped strengthen India’s democratic institutions.
CJP representatives said public officials should maintain dignity and be careful with their language, adding that younger generations were not taking Ranaut’s remarks seriously.
Ranaut, who represents Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has also faced criticism from Congress and AIMIM leaders since her comments began circulating widely online.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan described the remarks as “highly condemnable” and said Ranaut should apologise to Gen Z, adding that “PM Modi should take cognisance of the kind of language his MPs use for Gen Z.” Congress’s Bhai Jagtap questioned her lack of 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)
