As outrage continues over the obscene slogans raised during the recent “Cockroach” protests in Delhi, The News Minute editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran has justified the abusive language used by sections of the protesters, including slurs directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his late mother and women journalists – her own kind.
The youth-led protests, organised under the banner of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the alleged 2026 NEET paper leak, quickly spiralled into controversy after videos surfaced showing protesters shouting vulgar slogans targeting the Prime Minister, his deceased mother, BJP leaders and members of the media.
The issue even echoed in Parliament, where BJP MP Kangana Ranaut condemned the abuse, questioning how a movement claiming to fight for justice could resort to such language against a 75-year-old Prime Minister and his late mother.
Women Journalists Also Targeted
The abuse was not limited to political leaders. Journalists covering the protests, even women reporters from mainstream media organisations, were subjected to abusive slogans, molestation, and heckling by protesters who accused them of being “Godi Media” and shielding the government.
Instead of unequivocally condemning the abuse, Rajendran argued that those criticising the protesters had no moral authority to do so.
Sharing a series of text images she shared on social media, she wrote:
“Not that I am a fan of abusive language. But these are the very people who thrived on it. From women politicians to women journalists, no one was spared.”
She then invited people to list abusive remarks previously directed at women journalists.
In the next image, she dismissed criticism from BJP leaders and supporters, writing, “Every BJP leader and supporter is lamenting one thing: the abusive language used by protesters. If hypocrisy were an Olympic sport, they’d take gold.”
She further argued that while Generation Z could be asked not to use abusive language, critics could not claim the “moral high ground.”
“You can ask Gen Z not to use abusive language. But you cannot claim the moral high ground, because you simply don’t have it.”
Rather than unequivocally condemning the obscene slogans raised during the protests, Rajendran defended the protesters by arguing that their critics had no moral standing to object. Her posts framed the abuse as a response to earlier instances of similar rhetoric, effectively justifying the language instead of denouncing it.
One question, however, remains unanswered: As a senior woman journalist, is Rajendran prepared to defend the obscene abuse directed at fellow women journalists simply because it came from protesters she sympathises with? If abuse is unacceptable, should that principle not apply irrespective of who the target is?
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