A brief interruption at the finance minister’s October 2 event in Andhra Pradesh has become a political flashpoint, with Congress alleging public anger and state leaders describing an enthusiastic party crowd.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech in Madanapalle was interrupted for about 30 seconds by shouts from the audience. The clip does not make the words clearly audible, but it spread on X over the weekend alongside claims that people were demanding jobs.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the episode public anger. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Sitharaman and leaders of the Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party said the crowd’s reaction was an enthusiastic response from party workers.
In the video, Sitharaman twice asks the audience to listen, then pauses and steps aside. Naidu urges people to sit down, saying the minister’s message about a programme intended to change farmers’ lives was important. He says he and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan would meet the crowd after the event, and asks people climbing a railing to get down. He speaks for about 70 seconds before Sitharaman resumes.
The clip’s poster claimed the crowd had shouted “give jobs first”. It had drawn more than 600,000 views by Sunday evening. Ramesh reposted it, saying the finance minister could see the public’s anger and that Naidu had to silence people.
Naidu rejected that interpretation. Sitharaman said TDP and Jana Sena Party workers wanted to speak with her and the two state leaders after the programme. IT Minister Nara Lokesh accused Ramesh of sharing false information without checking it. Andhra Pradesh BJP chief P.V.N. Madhav also said a routine interaction had been presented as an organised jobs protest.
The event marked the launch of the Global Horticulture Hub – Rayalaseema Rising project. Naidu and Sitharaman laid foundation stones for a horticulture hub valued at ₹1 lakh crore and the Indian School of Agriculture.