Clip of Naidu calming crowd at Sitharaman’s speech in Andhra’s Madanapalle sets off Congress-NDA row
A viral video clip of an interruption during Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's speech in Andhra Pradesh has sparked a political dispute between the Congress and the NDA. While opposition leaders claim the crowd was protesting for jobs, government officials maintain it was an enthusiastic response from supporters.
Why it matters
The incident illustrates the intense political polarization and the use of social media to shape narratives around economic issues like unemployment.
A 30-second interruption to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech at Madanapalle on October 2 turned into a political row on Sunday (October 4, 2026), after a clip of it went viral on X with the claim that the crowd had been “demanding jobs”. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a reply to a video post on X, called it public anger. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Ms. Sitharaman, and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and BJP leaders replied to Mr. Ramesh’s post, saying it was the “overwhelming and enthusiastic response” of party workers.
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