ITANAGAR : The women wing of the Congress in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday staged a protest against BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut over her controversial remarks on Gen Z and students protesting the NEET paper leak and irregularities in competitive examinations, demanding an unconditional public apology.
Ranaut on Tuesday referred to young protesters as “Generation gutter” and questioned “who is birthing and raising them”.
Arunachal Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee (APMCC) workers also burnt an effigy of the actor-turned-politician during the demonstration at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan here.
The protest was led by APMCC president Chukhu Nachi, who accused Ranaut of insulting students, unemployed youth and their families instead of supporting their demand for transparency and accountability in the country’s examination system.
The comments of the Mandi MP triggered widespread criticism from political parties, student groups and social media users.
Addressing reporters, Nachi said the real issue was the repeated failure of the examination system and not the students protesting against it.
“The youth of India are not the problem. The real problem is the failure of the BJP government to protect the integrity of the country’s examination system. Students demanding accountability cannot be branded as a useless generation,” she said.
Nachi added that Ranaut, as a public representative, should show responsibility and respect for democratic dissent instead of making personal remarks against students and their families.
The Congress said no public representative had the moral authority to insult an entire generation striving for education, employment and a better future.
It alleged that attempts to humiliate students would only strengthen their resolve to fight against examination scams, paper leaks and corruption.
The organisation demanded that Ranaut issue an unconditional apology to students, youth and parents across the country for her remarks.
It also appealed to student organisations, women’s groups and civil society to unite in defending the dignity and democratic rights of young people. (Source: PTI)
