A brief disruption during Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech at an event in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, has triggered a political exchange over what led to the incident.
The programme, held on October 2, was organised for the launch of the “Global Horticulture Hub – Rayalaseema Rising” project. Sitharaman and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu attended the event, where foundation stones were laid for the proposed Rs 1 lakh crore horticulture hub and the Indian School of Agriculture.
A video from the event shows people in the gathering shouting while Sitharaman was speaking. The Finance Minister is heard asking the audience to listen, following which Naidu stepped in and appealed to the crowd to remain seated.
Naidu also asked people who had climbed onto a railing to come down. He told the gathering that they could raise slogans and interact with the leaders after the programme.
The reason for the shouting is not clearly established from the video footage. However, the incident has led to different interpretations from political leaders.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared the video and described it as an indication of public anger, with some social media posts claiming that people were demanding jobs.
Sitharaman rejected that interpretation, saying supporters of the Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party were enthusiastic about interacting with their leaders. Naidu also said the crowd’s response reflected enthusiasm rather than anger.
Naidu said the gathering had shown strong support for the leaders and that he intervened briefly to ensure the programme continued smoothly.
Andhra Pradesh Minister and TDP leader Nara Lokesh also rejected the jobs-related claim, describing the incident as a normal interaction with an enthusiastic gathering. Andhra Pradesh BJP president P. V. N. Madhav similarly said a clipped video was being used to create a different narrative about the event.
The Congress, meanwhile, continued to cite the footage in its criticism of the government.
With the audio and visuals not conclusively establishing the reason behind the shouting, the incident has resulted in competing political interpretations of the same footage.