Yoga guru and businessman Baba Ramdev criticised actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut over her controversial comments about Gen Z, in which she referred to the younger generation as “generation gutter”. Speaking about the remark during an interview, Ramdev questioned Kangana’s comments and said describing the country’s youth in such terms reflected what he called a “spoilt mind”. He also urged members of her party to take note of her statement. When asked about Kangana’s comments on Gen Z, the yoga guru questioned her qualifications and background. When the TV 9 interviewer pointed out that Kangana is a Member of Parliament, Ramdev went on to ask about her childhood, youth and past. He further questioned, “Unka bachpan kaisa raha hai? Unki jawaani kaisi rahi hai? Unke pehle ke kaarname kaise rahe hai? Main aise logon ke baare mein baat nahi karna chahta. Aise kisi bhi desh ke jawaanon ko gutter bolna bigde hue dimag ki nishaani hai. Galat baat hai (How were her previous activities? I don’t want to talk about such people. To call a country’s youth a gutter generation is a sign of a spoilt mind. It is wrong). The people of her party should take note of this.” The journalist also mentioned that Kangana is a follower of Ramdev’s yoga and identifies herself as a Sanatani. To this, Ramdev responded, “If someone praises my yoga, should I cover up their sins?”
Ramdev then stressed that India’s youth cannot be viewed through the lens of caste or community. “Look, any caste, creed or community. Today, the youth is not a caste. The youth is everything. There are children of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Dalits, Adivasis, Vanvasis, SCs, STs. They are all children. Today, the youth has a lot of strength in them. No one can deny that. And the youth has shaken up the good and the bad,”
Why Kangana Called Gen Z ‘Generation Gutter’
Kangana made the controversial remarks last month through her Instagram story. While discussing what she described as the attitude of some young people, she used the term “generation gutter”. In her post, Kangana argued that some young women want the independence associated with successful working women without taking responsibility for earning that freedom. She also criticised people who, according to her, openly celebrate drug use, drinking and having multiple sexual partners while remaining financially dependent on their parents. She wrote, “I call them generation gutter. Some of them have nothing to offer to the system. They are not good at studies, but they are so ugly and corrupt that they can’t be homemakers either. They proudly flaunt their freedom to have drugs, drinks or endless body counts and shamelessly live off their parents’ 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 chap.”
Kangana Later Reacted To Her Statement
Kangana subsequently defended her use of the phrase “generation gutter”. She said, “Our 75-year-old Prime Minister was targeted, and filthy abuse was hurled at his late mother. We, too, have participated in student protests. But what kind of students are these, and what kind of obscene language are they using? In what way do they resemble students?” She further questioned whether young protesters would be able to manage the financial burden of legal proceedings on their own, adding, “If these individuals need Supreme Court lawyers or legal counsel in the future, will their parents be able to afford it? They do not have the means to afford it themselves.”
