Kangana Ranaut has hit back at Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das after he criticised her remarks on Gen Z protesters and urged politicians to “uphold the dignity of their position.” The exchange began after the actor-politician shared a series of Instagram Stories in which she called some young women participating in the CJP-led student protests “Generation Gutter”, accused protesters of glorifying “drugs, drinks and endless body counts”, and earlier described videos from the demonstrations as “puke-inducing.”Responding to Kangana Ranaut’s recent remarks about the CJP protests, Saurav Das dismissed the BJP MP’s criticism, claiming she wasn’t taken seriously even within her own party.“Kangana Ranaut is not taken seriously by her own party. So why should we take her seriously? I don’t think anyone in Gen Z, or in Gen Alpha, or any younger generation takes her seriously. Or listens to her.”Saurav then referred to an earlier video in which Kangana had spoken about adjusting to life as a first-time MP, saying it contradicted her criticism of the younger generation.He said, “She is a politician. There were some videos of her when she visited Himachal Pradesh. She said, ‘I thought I would have to work a little. Here you have to work a lot as an MP.’ So this shows her seriousness.”Saurav Das added that Kangana Ranaut’s own remarks had undermined her criticism of Gen Z.“She is calling us an unserious generation. But she has exposed her seriousness. I won’t say much on this.”Story continues below this adSaurav also objected to the language Kangana had used in her Instagram posts, saying public representatives should exercise restraint. “The wording is not right. Politicians should take responsibility for the wording. Politicians should uphold the dignity of their position.”Defending the younger generation, he concluded by saying Gen Z had contributed significantly to strengthening democracy in the country.Saurav said, “Many times more than you, Gen Z has done for this country. Is doing. Gen Z has done the work of reawakening trust in this country’s democracy. You haven’t done it.”ALSO READ: Inside Sonam Wangchuk’s ‘tribal house’ made of mud that needs no heating in Ladakh wintersStory continues below this adKangana Ranaut calls Saurav Das ‘useless’Kangana Ranaut responded by sharing Saurav Das’ ANI interview on her Instagram Stories, questioning his claim of being a student and contrasting his life with her own achievements.Kangana said, “Googled this student and he is 28, how he claims himself to be student I have no clue!”She then pointed out that while she had entered politics only two years ago, she had been in the public eye for two decades and had already won two National Awards by the time she was Saurav’s age.“Yes, I am in politics for past 2 years but I have been in public life for last 20 years. At his age, I had 2 National Awards.”Story continues below this adResponding to Saurav Das’ remarks about her earlier comments on adjusting to life as an MP, Kangana Ranaut explained why she had said she was overwhelmed.“Yes, as a new parliamentarian was overwhelmed with all the work because I am also a filmmaker, performing artiste, producer, screen writer and entrepreneur.”She then took a swipe at Saurav, saying: “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.”Ending her post, Kangana wrote, “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.”Story continues below this adKangana Ranaut on backlash against protestersIn another Instagram Story shared earlier in the day, Kangana Ranaut defended the backlash against some participants in the CJP-led student protests, saying those who use abusive language should be prepared to face criticism in return.The actor wrote, “Protestors who are beaten and abused on the roads by common people because of their filthy and abusive reels, they must understand, jab bolte ho toh sunna bhi padega.”She argued that damaging public property and hurling abuses at the government would naturally provoke a public response.“Agar tum public property damage karte ho toh woh public bhi tumko damage karegi. Agar tumko desh aur leadership se problem hai aur tumne publicly khoob gandi gandi gaaliyaan di toh ab unki suno jo iss desh se pyaar karte hain aur iss sarkar ko vote ki power se leke aaye hain (If you damage public property, then the public will damage you too. If you have a problem with the country and its leadership, and you have publicly hurled abusive insults at them, then now listen to those who love this country and who brought this government to power through the power of their vote).”Story continues below this adKangana added that supporters of the government also had an equal right to express themselves.“Kyunki bolne ka haq unko bhi hai. Ab rone wali koi baat nahi. Every action has equal and opposite reaction. Agar abhi tak padhai karke cause and effect samajh nahi aaya hai toh ab aa jayega, aur bahut achche se samajh aaye.”What Kangana had said earlierThe exchange stems from a series of Instagram Stories in which Kangana Ranaut criticised the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests.In her latest post, Kangana called some young women participating in the movement “Generation Gutter”, alleging that they glorified “drugs, drinks, or endless body counts” while depending on their parents financially. She also wrote that “independent life needs to be earned.”Story continues below this adEarlier, Kangana Ranaut described videos from the protests as “puke-inducing”, saying she had “never in my life seen so much ugliness in one place.” She accused the protesters of using abusive language, saying, “You call yourselves cockroaches and look and behave like them too.” She also described them as “filth, garbage, and ugliness.”The CJP protests began over the NEET-UG paper leak but quickly evolved into a nationwide youth-led movement demanding accountability and sweeping education reforms. Led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and backed by activist Sonam Wangchuk, the campaign featured marches, sit-ins and Wangchuk’s 26-day hunger strike, while also calling for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Pradhan eventually stepped down, citing moral responsibility, but CJP leaders have said the movement will continue as they push for broader reforms in the education system.