Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the swearing-in ceremony of Chandrababu Naidu as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, was seen "reprimanding" and gesturing sternly at Tamil Nadu BJP Leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarrajan.
As Shah chose to "vehemently convey his disapproval" to Soundarrajan on the stage where other NDA leaders, including the Prime Minister, were present, footage of the incident was meant to go viral and become a top topic of discussion throughout the day.
In the now-viral video, Shah, sitting between Union Health Minister JP Nadda and former President of India Venkaiah Naidu, was seen calling the former Telangana governor towards himself as she was passing and started telling her something with a pointed finger, contracted brows, and an element of disapproval on his face, which to many seemed as if he was reprimanding Soundarrajan. Shah was seen talking in an agitated manner, gesticulating animatedly with his fingers at Soundararajan. On the other hand, Soundarrajan, in an effort to put her point of view across, was seen responding but was interrupted by Shah and made to listen.
Watch the video here:
Soon after the video went viral, people speculated that Shah reprimanded Soundararajan over her recent remarks to a media outlet about the Tamil Nadu BJP.
While speaking to the media outlet, Soundararajan had suggested that many antisocial elements had recently been inducted into the BJP in Tamil Nadu, indirectly criticising the leadership of the party’s Tamil Nadu State president, K. Annamalai.
Both Soundararajan and Annamalai, who lost in the recent elections in Tamil Nadu, have been at odds over Annamalai’s leadership style and decisions. Their supporters have engaged in open debates and mud-slinging on social media.
Soundararajan’s supporters blamed Annamalai for the BJP’s poor performance in the state, while Annamalai’s supporters argued that the party’s vote share had actually increased and criticised Soundararajan for publicly commenting on internal party issues.
It remains unclear whether this disagreement was the cause of Shah’s reaction towards Soundararajan, as she has yet to comment on the incident. Meanwhile, social media users continue to share the video widely, accompanied by various captions and interpretations.
