Gen Z Strength And Pride of Our Country, Says Kangana Ranaut

New Delhi: Days after stirring a major controversy by terming Gen Z protesters "generation gutter", actor-politician Kangana Ranaut on Friday pivoted to praise them as India's biggest strength and ambassadors of the country's culture and identity.

A day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Gen Z's demands should be heard and they are not anti-national, Ranaut echoed his sentiment.

"Gen Z is the strength of our country and, in a way, a great asset to our nation. We are very happy that our young people are increasingly emerging as ambassadors of our culture and its identity," she told reporters outside Parliament.

"We have also had the opportunity to listen to Mohan Bhagwat ji, whom we hold in the highest regard, and benefit from his wisdom and experience. It is a matter of great happiness that the country's youth are connecting with us and embracing our cultural identity," the BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh added.

She also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for not going to Ranchi to meet protesting students agitating against irregularities in state recruitment exams.

The "Queen" actor, whose provocative comments on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest that started from Jantar Mantar led to massive criticism, praised those protesting peacefully in Jharkhand and the athletes who won medals and dedicated their wins to the prime minister.

"Gen Z is part of the government. It is their mandate, which our government has been fulfilling for so many years. Gen Z are great. It's not like the 10-15 people who are abusing are Gen Z," Ranaut said, adding that a handful of people are ruining the name of Gen Z .

On Thursday, Bhagwat said in Mumbai that the young are "our own next generation" and there has to be love. The youth should not be slapped with the charges of "anti-national" for protesting peacefully, he said.

Ranaut's comments today mark a major turnaround. She had posted a series of videos lashing out at the CJP protesters for the language they used against leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Never in my life I have seen so much ugliness in one place, these reels from GenZ protests are puke inducing, 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 ones, ewwww who is birthing and raising them?" Ranaut had said.

She also said, "Here is a new generation of so called westernised Indian women. I call them generation gutter."