Gen Z Is Our Biggest Strength’: Kangana Ranaut Softens Stand After ‘Generation Gutter’ Remarks

BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut on Friday called Gen Z the country’s “biggest strength”, days after facing criticism over remarks in which she had described sections of the generation as “Generation Gutter”.

Ranaut said it would be wrong to judge an entire generation on the basis of the conduct of a small number of protesters.

“Gen Z is our biggest strength, and we are proud of the generation,” she said.

“Our government has been in power for so long due to the mandate of Gen Z... It is not true that only those 10–15 people who abuse during protests represent Gen Z,” Ranaut added.

The actor-turned-politician said young people could participate in protests without resorting to abusive or disruptive behaviour. Referring to an ongoing student agitation in Jharkhand, she cited the protesters there as an example.

“Today, the students sitting and protesting in Jharkhand are conducting themselves peacefully and responsibly,” she said.

Ranaut also referred to young Indian sportspersons who had won medals and dedicated their achievements to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country.

“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.

The BJP MP also attacked the Opposition over disruptions in Parliament, accusing it of obstructing proceedings and causing inconvenience to the public.

“The Opposition has created a ruckus and the public is suffering a lot because of it. They do not agree with the government's work or with the Bills that were supposed to be passed. Their destructive mentality is clearly visible to the country. Then, when they lose and when the country rejects them, they cry foul,” Ranaut said.

Her latest remarks come a week after she triggered controversy with a series of Instagram stories targeting Gen Z, particularly “young Hindu women”, in the context of student protests organised under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party.

In those posts, Ranaut sharply criticised the behaviour and language of some protesters.

“Never in my life have I seen so much ugliness in one place. These reels from Gen Z protests are puke-inducing. The way they speak and the kind of language they are using... never in my life have I seen everything in each and every frame so jarring and so crass all at once,” she wrote.

She also criticised what she called “so-called westernised Indian women”, alleging that they were “so corrupt and ugly that they can't be homemakers”.

“They proudly flaunt their freedom to have drugs, drinks and shamelessly live off their parents' earnings,” Ranaut wrote.

The BJP MP went on to label them “Generation Gutter”.

“I call them Generation Gutter. Some of them have nothing to offer to the system. They are not good at studies. They are so ugly and corrupt that they can't even be homemakers,” she wrote on Instagram..