NEW DELHI: The Jantar Mantar protest may have ended, but the political battle around it is showing no signs of fading. What began as an agitation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination has now spilled into a bitter confrontation over Gen Z, the conduct of protesters, political speech and the limits of public dissent.At the centre of the latest row are BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut’s sharp criticism of young protesters and right-wing commentator T G Mohandas’ controversial remarks about the agitation. Their comments have started a fresh war of words, turning the aftermath of the protest into a political contest of its own.As per news agency PTI, Kangana Ranaut had earlier described Gen Z protesters as “Generation gutter” and called videos from the agitation “puke inducing”. She also criticised young women participating in the protests, saying their behaviour was “most appalling”.The actor-politician has since sought to explain her position. In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Ranaut said her criticism was aimed at behaviour she believed should not be normalised in public spaces. She argued that personal freedom could not come at the expense of others and said, “your freedom ends where my nose and ears begin”.Ranaut also said she appreciated many members of Gen Z and pointed to young people contributing to society, including those involved in startups and those taking responsibility for their families. Her clarification, however, did little to end the controversy.Instead, it intensified the exchange with CJP spokesperson Saurav Das, who questioned her language and accused her of trying to “ride the CJP wave”. Speaking to PTI, Das also criticised Ranaut’s performance as a parliamentarian.The BJP MP hit back, calling Das “totally useless and unemployed” and questioning his claim of being a student.The controversy took a more serious turn with Kerala Cyber Police registering a case against Mohandas over remarks he allegedly made in YouTube videos about the Delhi protest. PTI reported that Mohandas allegedly said the protest “could lead to incidents of gang rape” and made remarks about women protesters. He also allegedly spoke of imposing a curfew and “open fire” if protesters refused to disperse.As per news agency ANI, CPI(M) Kerala state secretary MV Govindan condemned Mohandas’ remarks, saying, “Democratic-minded people must speak out against TG Mohandas’ remarks. A call for violence and mass killings is a disgrace to any democratic society.”The contrasting controversies have widened the political fault lines around a protest that formally concluded on July 25 after Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post while government too assured the CJP of considering their demands.(With agency inputs)
