I would debate it simply on the basis that at the time The Who did my genration, punk did not exsist. It was not even in the back of any minds, so they would not be sitting around saying "let's write a punk song"...
If looking at people I think might of been the early inspirations for the punk ethos, I could say Wood Guthrie was one, This Machine Kills Facists. Johnny Cash, his attitude could be seen as punk as well... Blues and Folk artists are like punks.
However, saying any of those people invented punk is no more true than saying it was The Who or The Kinks.
Punk and Punk Rock are different I feel, Johnny Cash did not play punk rock, but he embodied what could be labeled as punk. Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs... writing protest songs... this could be an inspiration for punk, but that is still folk.
Really not easy to say who invented punk... Punk was almost born unto itself.
The answer depends on you define punk, and each one may be different...
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"I hope that someday we will be able to put away our fears and prejudices and just laugh at people." - Jack Handey.
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