New Delhi: Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has expressed disappointment over the comments made by actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut against Gen Z.
Individuals within an organisation or political party do make inappropriate remarks at times and it is wrong to condemn an entire generation while criticising a particular group, he said in an exclusive interview with ABP News.
Kangana, the MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, is known for her controversial remarks.
She had recently described Gen Z as “gutter-level people”. When asked about the remark, she neither apologised nor offered a clarification, but defended her statement by saying: “What did I say wrong? They call themselves cockroaches, and cockroaches live in gutters.”
On a question from ABP News political editor Megha Prasad about Ranaut’s language towards the younger generation, Paswan said different kinds of people exist within every system, including political parties.
He himself gets upset with members of his own party and questions them when they say or do something inappropriate, Paswan said. He, however, stressed that individual remarks should not be treated as representative of an entire system.
“What matters is only one thing,” Paswan said, referring to the views of the government’s top leader. He added that he continues to work with faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing the latter as his Prime Minister and saying his views are what matter to him.
The LJP (RV) chief acknowledged that people within large organisations will occasionally make statements he does not support. He said he has himself heard communal remarks that he strongly disagrees with.
Paswan cited comments made by some leaders during the month of Sawan, including calls for meat shops to be shut or for shopkeepers to display nameplates. Paswan said he does not support such positions.
He, however, questioned whether disagreement with an individual should lead to rejecting an entire political system. Instead, he said, he prefers to focus on what the government’s principal leader is saying and the position he takes.
He was more direct when asked specifically about Kangana’s “gutter” remark. He said he considered the statement wrong.
“I believe this is wrong. While criticising an organisation, calling an entire generation this is not right,” Paswan said.
Political parties regularly reprimand leaders when they use inappropriate language, he said. According to Paswan, he himself raises objections within his own party, while the BJP also takes action or objects when its leaders cross the line.
The leadership of a large organisation cannot be held responsible for every statement made by every individual member, Paswan said.
