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Kangana Ranaut vs CJP: 'Gutter generation' remarks, backlash and then a clarification
The BJP MP Kangana Ranaut did not stop there; she went on to target young women who participated in the demonstration, calling them “ugly and corrupt”.
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut found herself at the centre of a controversy this week after a series of social media posts targeting Gen Z protesters associated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.
In a strongly worded Instagram post, Ranaut described some young protesters as the "gutter generation" and asked, "Who is birthing and raising them?". The remarks quickly sparked widespread criticism from opposition parties, CJP leaders and social media users.
The row unfolded days after the 36-day agitation over NEET exam irregularities ended on July 25, with the Centre accepting key demands of the protesters, including the resignation of former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
How the controversy began
Ranaut kicked off the row with a string of Instagram posts criticising videos from the CJP-led protests that began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar before spreading to other cities.
"Never in my life have I seen so much ugliness in one place. These reels from GenZ protests are puke inducing, the way they speak and the kind of language they are using, never in my life I have seen everything in every frame so jarring and so crass all at ones, ewwww who is birthing and raising them?" she wrote.
The BJP MP did not stop there; she went on to target young women who participated in the demonstration, calling them “ugly and corrupt”.
She added, “Women who are truly independent make rebellious choices, bold opinions, unconventional career moves, and they take accountability for their actions. They have to cos they are on their own. They don't do this at the cost of their parents or families.”
"Here is a new generation of so-called westernised Indian women. I call them Generation gutter," she said, adding that some women protesters were "so ugly and corrupt that they can't be homemakers either".
Ranaut's Modi angle
A day later, the “Queen” actress spoke to reporters in Parliament, where she argued that the protesters had crossed the line by allegedly using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother.
"Our prime minister is 75 years old, and his mother has passed away. How do you use such abusive language against them? We have also held protests, but we were embarrassed to be shown on camera... What kind of students are they? They are using such filthy language, from which angle do they look like students?" news agency PTI quoted her as saying.
CJP says, ‘Who even takes her seriously’
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke dismissed the actor's remarks outright. "Who even takes her seriously?" he said.
The movement's spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, responded with a sharp retort.
"Yes, we are the gutter generation. Coming out of the gutter, the cockroach movement got a minister to resign," he said.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and AIMIM, criticised Ranaut's comments, accusing her of insulting an entire generation of young people after a protest movement that had secured major concessions from the government.
Saurav Das vs Ranaut
However, the exchange of fire escalated further when CJP spokesperson Saurav Das accused Ranaut of using inappropriate language and questioned her conduct.
"These words don't seem to be from a person who is mentally stable because you wouldn't use this kind of language about the young. If there is a young person in your family who belongs to Gen Z or Gen Alpha or whatever, would you use such language against them?" he told PTI Videos.
Das also mocked Ranaut's performance as an MP.
"I don't have much to say about Kangana Ranaut; her own party members don't take her seriously. There are videos of her from her constituency where she is meeting people and telling them, 'Aap log to bohat kaam karate ho. Mujhe to laga tha ki MP banke zyaada kaam nahi hoga. Lekin yahan par to mujhe roz kaam karna pad raha hai.' So that's the kind of seriousness with which she sees her own work," he said.
Das was referring to an earlier comment by the actor.
"It's fine, I think she is trying to ride the CJP wave," he added.
Ranaut hit back on Instagram, questioning how Das could still call himself a student at 28.
"I just googled this person, and he is 28 years old. And he claims to be a student. How he claims to be a student, I have no clue!!" she wrote.
Responding to Das' criticism of her work as an MP, she said, "At his age, I had two National Awards. Yes, as a new parliamentarian, I was overwhelmed with all the work because I am also a filmmaker, performing artist, producer, screenwriter, and entrepreneur. But someone like him, who is totally useless and unemployed, will never understand what it means to be in massive demand at all times, at any age."
"Dear Saurav, your issues are personal. You are not a student; you are useless," she added.
Ranaut doubles down, clarifies
Even as criticism mounted, Ranaut released a selfie video accusing the media of misrepresenting her remarks and insisting she was objecting only to what she described as obscene behaviour by some protesters.
"I asked them not to normalise the 'gutter chaap', unethical and filthy behaviour of some protesters who were doing it on the streets in front of children, elders, and women. We do not accept this in this society.
"We do not want our children to be sexualized and feel embarrassed in front of our elders. We do not accept this kind of behaviour," she said.
She maintained that her comments had been misconstrued. “Because I objected to some protesters who were displaying what I consider gutter-level, unethical, and obscene behaviour on the streets in front of children, elderly people, and women… the media has ganged up against me,” the Mandi MP added.
"They won't tell you how much I praised startups like Star Sky Route, or how much I appreciated the members of Gen Z who are taking our country to new heights. I personally congratulated the NEET students, and I have praised young people who are shouldering their family's responsibilities. We have such youngsters in our own team, and we also have Gen Z brothers and sisters in our extended families who accomplish important work,” she said.
"But for the sake of a few followers, a handful of comments, and some likes, these media people have sold themselves out to such an extent,” she added.
