The brief shouting by a group of youngsters during Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s address was an expression of enthusiasm, not a protest demanding jobs, Annamayya district Collector Nishant Kumar said, rejecting contrary reports.

“The misinformation that there was a protest from crowds regarding jobs when Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman was addressing the meeting in Madanapalle was very unfortunate, meaningless and ridiculous,” Mr. Nishant Kumar told The Hindu.

He said the nearly one-lakh-strong gathering was jubilant over the launch of the ₹1 lakh-crore horticulture hub and the Indian School of Agriculture at Madanapalle.

“The twin projects would definitely usher in a healthy employment boom in the region. Hence, the misinformation that there was a protest for jobs by youth is meaningless,” the Collector said.

According to Mr. Nishant Kumar, when some youngsters among the crowd stood up and began shouting, it was entirely an expression of enthusiasm and an attempt to cheer the dignitaries on the dais. The presence of Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan also contributed to the enthusiasm among the gathering, he said.

“The crowds also remained very disciplined all through the meeting,” the Collector said.

When Ms. Sitharaman asked the youngsters to calm down, the gathering in the front rows, which largely comprised youth, cheered her, the Collector said. It was also Ms. Sitharaman’s maiden public meeting in the region, and she attended it as a senior national leader, he added.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu immediately intervened and asked the excited youngsters to calm down, the Collector said, describing the Chief Minister’s intervention as stern but friendly.

Information and Public Relations Department Deputy Director (Annamayya district) Ch. Purushottam, who faced the crowd directly in front of the dais, also attributed the incident entirely to “over-enthusiasm among some youngsters”.

“When a camera was zoomed in on them, it further intensified their enthusiasm, and they took to shouting only in a cheerful and boisterous mood. But when the Chief Minister asked them to calm down, absolute silence followed,” Mr. Purushottam said.

Senior police officials associated with the security arrangements said the gathering remained orderly and there was no indication of an organised protest at the venue. “There is no verified evidence establishing any disturbing angle to the incident or identifying any particular organisation as having orchestrated a protest,” a circle inspector on duty said.

The sequence on stage showed Ms. Sitharaman appealing to the crowd to settle down before Mr. Naidu intervened and asked them to maintain calm. Ms. Sitharaman then continued with her address.

Ms. Sitharaman and Mr. Naidu later rejected the interpretation that the episode represented public anger over unemployment. Mr. Naidu described the gathering’s response as enthusiastic, and Ms. Sitharaman said people present were keen to interact with Mr. Naidu and Mr. Pawan Kalyan.

The episode drew political attention after a video of the brief interruption circulated on social media and was interpreted in some quarters as a jobs-related protest.