NEW DELHI: A war of words has erupted between actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leader Saurav Das.The row began after Ranaut launched a scathing attack on young people who participated in the CJP-led protests, branding Gen Z as “generation gutter” and describing videos from the demonstrations as “puke inducing”. Her remarks quickly went viral, triggering criticism on social media and drawing a sharp response from Das, who said even members of her own party did not take her seriously.
Kangana Ranaut (Instagram Story)
The exchange comes after the 36-day protest, led by the CJP along with students and civil society groups, ended on July 25 after the Centre accepted several key demands raised by the protesters, including the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, compensation for affected families and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.Kangana calls protest videos ‘puke inducing’BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi launched a blistering attack on those who took part in the protests at Jantar Mantar.“Never in my life I have 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 each and every frame so jarring and so crass all at ones, ewwww who is birthing and raising them?”She went on to accuse the protesters of tarnishing India’s image.“India is a place of diversely beautiful people, draped in elegance and rooted in cultural sophistication, you call yourself cockroaches and look/ behave like them as well there is no paradox or juxtaposition there, just simply subjecting the world to your filth, garbage and ugliness. I am scarred from these reels, need some healing, digital detox.”Ranaut then turned her attention to women who had joined the demonstrations.“Women who are truly independent they 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.”Calling them “Generation gutter”, she added, Here is a new generation of so called westernised Indian women. I call them Generation gutter.”She further wrote, “They proudly flaunt their freedom to have drugs, drinks or endless body counts and shamelessly live off their patents earnings and constantly fight to live independent lives without actually being independent.”“Gentle reminder independent life needs to be earned. If you try to live independently without accountability, you are just a distorted entity, gutter chaap.”‘Every action has equal and opposite reaction’Ranaut defended criticism directed at protesters, saying those who publicly criticised the government should also be prepared to face backlash.“Protestors who are getting beaten and abused on the roads by ordinary people because of their filthy and abusive reels must understand that if you speak, you also have to be prepared to listen. If you damage public property, then the public will damage you too.”She added, “If you have a problem with the country and its leadership and have publicly hurled filthy abuses at them, then now listen to those who love this country and brought this government to power through their votes. Because they also have the right to speak.”Invoking Newton’s third law of motion, Ranaut concluded, “Every action has equal and opposite reaction. If studying hasn’t helped you understand cause and effect, now you will understand it very well.”Her remarks rapidly spread across social media, with many users criticising the actor-MP for what they described as “crass comments”, while supporters defended her right to express her views.Saurav Das fires backDas responded by dismissing Ranaut’s criticism, saying her views carried little weight even within her own party.“Even members of her own party don’t pay much heed to Kangana Ranaut or take her seriously, so why should we? I don’t think anyone in Gen Z, Gen Alpha, or any younger generation takes her seriously or listens to what she says. She is a politician now.”He also referred to comments Ranaut had previously made about the workload of being a Member of Parliament.“There were videos from when she visited her constituency in Himachal Pradesh where she remarked that she had expected the job to require very little work, only to realise that being a Member of Parliament involves a massive amount of labour. That speaks volumes about her own seriousness.”Kangana targets Saurav Das againThe confrontation escalated on Tuesday when Ranaut singled out CJP leader Saurav Das after sharing a screenshot of his ANI interview on Instagram stories.Questioning his identity as a student, she wrote, “Googled this person and he is 28 years old, how he claims to be a student I have no clue!! Yes I am in politics for past 2 years but I have been in public life for last 20 years.”She then compared his life with her own achievements, “At his age I had 2 National Awards, yes as a new parliamentarian I was overwhelmed with all the work because I am also a filmmaker + performing artist + producer + screen writer + entrepreneur.”Ranaut continued, “But someone like him who is totally useless and unemployed will never understand what it means to be in massive demand and at all times at any age.”Addressing Das directly, she added, “Dear Saurav your issues are personal, you are not a student you are simply useless, let’s start with learning some skill. It’s a good place to start.”
