A political storm has erupted after BJP MP and actress Kangana Ranaut called Gen Z protesters “generation gutter” in Instagram Stories posted on Monday.

Ranaut’s posts targeted demonstrators at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with her writing, “You call yourself cockroaches and look/behave like them as well,” and accusing them of “filth, garbage and ugliness.”

The remarks were directed at protesters affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party, whose nationwide demonstrations over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak had led to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das responded on Tuesday, saying, “Even people within Kangana Ranaut’s own party don’t pay much attention to her or take her seriously, so why should we?”

Das said Ranaut lacked seriousness as a politician, citing her own admission that she had underestimated the workload of being a Member of Parliament.

He argued that Gen Z had contributed more to the nation than Ranaut and had helped strengthen India’s democratic institutions.

CJP representatives said elected officials should maintain dignity and mind their language, adding that younger generations were not taking Ranaut’s remarks seriously.

Ranaut, who represents Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has also faced criticism from Congress and AIMIM leaders since her comments went viral.

AIMIM’s Waris Pathan described the remarks as “highly condemnable” and said Ranaut owed Gen Z an apology, adding that “PM Modi should take cognisance of the kind of language his MPs use for Gen Z.” Congress leader Bhai Jagtap questioned her lack of remorse over the treatment of protesting students, while Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said “no one takes Kangana Ranaut seriously.”

The exchange has drawn wide attention online, with Ranaut’s remarks and the CJP’s response both trending across social media platforms in the days since.

Kangana Ranaut, a National Award-winning actress, has represented Mandi in Himachal Pradesh as a BJP Member of Parliament since 2024, alongside her continuing film career.

(Image: Photo: Sadhguru, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0)

A viral video shows HCLTech staff chanting “we want hike” at chief executive C Vijayakumar during the company’s 50th anniversary event in Chennai.

The footage, shared widely across platforms including X and Instagram, captures a full auditorium erupting into the chant as Vijayakumar arrived on stage.

The chanting continued for some time as the CEO remained on stage during the proceedings.

The celebration formed part of HCLTech’s golden jubilee, marking the company’s 50th year in business.

The video has drawn a range of reactions online, with some finding it funny and others linking it to wider concerns about compensation in the IT sector.

Some viewers praised employees for voicing their concerns openly, while others said it was an inappropriate moment for such chants.

The clip has kept circulating since the event, with commentary continuing across social platforms.

Similar viral moments involving employees publicly airing workplace grievances at corporate events have periodically surfaced from other large companies in India in recent years, often prompting comparable debates online about appropriate conduct versus genuine expression of concerns.

The video’s spread illustrates how internal corporate moments, once captured on phone cameras and shared on social media, can quickly become part of wider public conversations about workplace culture and compensation across an entire industry.

C Vijayakumar has served as HCLTech’s chief executive officer, a role in which he has represented the company at major public events, including the golden jubilee celebration where the video was filmed.

The chant broke out as part of HCLTech’s golden jubilee celebrations in Chennai, an event that also featured other planned elements to mark the company’s fifty years in business.

Social media users were divided in their reactions, with some praising the employees for candidly expressing workplace concerns in a public setting, while others felt the moment undercut the tone of a company milestone event.

(Image: Itsbilluid (CC BY-SA 3.0))