Amaravati, Oct 4 (IANS) A political row broke out between Congress and NDA on Sunday after a clip of brief interruption to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech at Madanapalle on October 2 and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s intervention to calm the crowd went viral on social media.
A user on social media platform X posted the clip of 30-second interruption to Finance Minister Sitharaman’s speech with the claim that the crowd was demanding jobs and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reposted the same with his remark that it reflects the public anger.
Nirmala Sitharaman, Chandrababu Naidu and other Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders were quick to counter Jairam Ramesh and claimed that it was the “overwhelming and enthusiastic response” of the party workers.
The Union Finance Minister was speaking at the launch of the Global Horticulture Hub at Madanapalle in Annamayya district when a section of the audience began shouting.
Speaking in Telugu, Sitharaman appealed to them to listen her for a minute.
When the crowd continued shouting, she stepped aside.
At this stage, CM Chandrababu Naidu took the mike and told the crowd that Sitharaman’s message at programme that would change Rayalaseema farmers’ lives was important.
The Chief Minister also told audience that after the programme, he and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan would step out and that they could make whatever slogans they want.
Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh reposted the clip posted by a user on X with the claim that people were demanding jobs.
“The Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) herself is seeing how much anger there is among the public. The Chief Minister had to silence the people,” the Congress leader Ramesh said.
Nirmala Sitharaman, in her swift reaction to the Congress leader’s post, called his interpretation unbelievable.
“Unbelievable, Jairam. Didn’t think you were impetuous. Both TDP and Jana Sena workers were keen on interacting with their leaders Chandrababu Naidu garu and Pawan Kalyan garu. CM Chandrababu Naidu said that after the programme they would come out and interact. That was all there is to it,” Sitharaman said.
Chandrababu Naidu also reacted to Jairam Ramesh’s post, saying his interpretation of what happened could not be further from reality.
“What you are trying to falsely portray as public anger was, in fact, an overwhelming and enthusiastic response from the people. The sheer enthusiasm of the gathering required me to intervene briefly so that the programme could continue smoothly. To mistake people’s enthusiasm for anger only reveals how disconnected you are from the mood of the people of Andhra Pradesh and Bharat alike. Politically motivated social media narratives cannot change what people themselves felt and expressed!” the TDP Chief said.
“Chaos in Rayalaseema: On stage, CM Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan, Anant Ambani. Finance Minister’s words: “Listen to what she said,” public retorts: “Give jobs first!” City slogans, hooting—had to stop the Finance Minister’s speech. Chandrababu Naidu had to stand up and say—Stay calm! Even in the 1 lakh crore project, the employment question weighs heavy. Now the public has awakened, questioning for their rights. Will the Horticulture Hub bring jobs to Rayalaseema’s youth, or just more speeches?” Ramesh said on X.
Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, termed Jairam Ramesh’s claim ‘totally baseless’.
“The crowd was cheering, and CM Chandrababu Naidu Garu was only maintaining order so FM Nirmala Sitharaman Garu could speak smoothly. Spinning public excitement into anger just to build a fake narrative is distasteful. We don’t expect such blatant misinformation from a senior leader like you (referring to Jairam Ramesh). Please verify facts before tweeting,” the TDP leader said.
–IANS
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