Kangana Ranaut calls Gen Z protest reels 'puke-inducing,' takes swipe at viral Cockroach Janta Party movement

Dubai: Kangana Ranaut calls Gen Z protest reels 'puke-inducing,' takes swipe at viral Cockroach Janta Party movement

Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut has never been one to mince her words, and her latest target is the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement that has dominated headlines and social media over the past week.

The BJP MP from Mandi took to Instagram Stories on Monday to criticise the protest movement's viral reels, calling them "puke inducing" and questioning the conduct and language of the young demonstrators.

"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 once. Ewwww, who is birthing and raising them?" Ranaut wrote.

She also mocked the protesters for embracing the "cockroach" identity, a label that the youth-led movement reclaimed and turned into its defining symbol.

"You call yourself cockroaches and look/behave like them as there is no paradox or juxtaposition there, just simply subjecting the world to your filth and garbage and ugliness," she wrote.

Ranaut wrapped up her posts by saying she was "scarred by these reels."

The protest that shook the government

Her comments come after the Cockroach Janta Party emerged as one of India's most talked-about youth movements, with thousands of students gathering at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar to protest alleged examination irregularities and demand sweeping reforms in the education system.

The demonstrations, fuelled largely by social media, eventually prompted negotiations between CJP representatives and the Centre. The protests were called off after the government accepted the group's key demand, leading to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi has since taken over the portfolio.

Who is Rhiya Ahir?

Among the movement's breakout faces is Mumbai-based model and content creator Rhiya Ahir, whose image became synonymous with the protests after she was photographed standing in front of a police van carrying detained demonstrators during a rain-soaked march in Mumbai.

The dramatic visuals quickly went viral, with many social media users praising her as a symbol of peaceful resistance. However, the attention also sparked intense online backlash. Ahir later filed a police complaint, alleging that she had been subjected to targeted trolling, defamation and misogynistic abuse after her photographs spread across the internet.

While Ahir has become an unexpected face of the movement, the CJP has consistently maintained that its campaign is about systemic reforms rather than individual personalities.

A fresh political flashpoint

Ranaut's remarks have added another chapter to the heated national conversation surrounding the protests. While supporters have hailed the movement as a rare example of young Indians successfully holding those in power accountable, critics—including the actor-MP—have questioned both its methods and its online culture.

As debate continues to rage across social media, the Cockroach Janta Party's protests have already left a lasting mark on India's political landscape, proving that a digital-first movement can quickly translate into real-world political pressure.