Kangana’s climbdown day after Bhagwat’s endorsement—‘gutter generation’ to India’s ‘biggest strength’

New Delhi: A day after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat endorsed the role of Gen Z in the recent Cockroach Janta Party-led protests, BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut sought to make amends, calling them India’s ‘biggest strength’.

Her latest remarks marked a sharp climbdown days after the Member of Parliament from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi referred to “young Hindu women” who took part in the CJP protests as “generation gutter”. Some wanted to imitate independent career women without earning their freedom or accepting accountability, she had said.

“Today, the students sitting and protesting in Jharkhand are conducting themselves peacefully and responsibly. Many young people from the country who have returned with medals have dedicated them to the Prime Minister and to the nation…there are only a handful of people who are damaging the image of Gen Z,” she said. 

Earlier, the BJP leader had also accused student protesters of glorifying “drugs, drinks and endless body counts”. She even termed videos from the Jantar Mantar as “puke-inducing”.

Kangana made the latest remarks while accusing the Opposition of creating a ‘ruckus’.

“You can see the kind of ruckus the Opposition is creating and the extent of the loss the public is suffering; they are obstructing all the government’s work and refusing to give their consent for any of the bills that were to be introduced,” Ranaut said.

Her comments come a day after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed Gen Z and Gen Alpha attendees at a conference on ‘The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way’, organised by India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) in Mumbai.

At the event, Bhagwat said they should not be branded as anti-national if they take part in an agitation. The RSS chief’s remarks come days after the CJP-led protests—which originated in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and spread across the country—ended on 25 July after the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, which was a key demand.

Bhagwat during the interaction in Mumbai also termed protest as a way of dialogue and consensus-building. His comments were in sharp contrast to the reactions of some BJP leaders including Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey, who alleged that “foreign forces hijacked the students’ outrage and anti-national forces were driving the movement”. 

Dubey had also questioned sources of funding of the CJP-led protests.

On Friday, Ranaut praised Bhagwat’s views and said it is heartening that the youth are connecting with Indian culture. “Mohan Bhagwat ji is highly respected and we have had the opportunity to listen to his wisdom and experiences many times. We are very happy that the youth of the country, who are connected with us and represent our culture, are emerging as ambassadors of our heritage. This is a matter of great joy,” she said. 

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

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