Jakarta – A senior United Development Party (PPP) politician defended the decision from party chairman Suryadharma Ali to walk off stage after his speech was cut short by a call for prayer during an event in Tasikmalaya, West Java on Monday.

"He wasn't angry. He left because he already had another appointment," said a member of the PPP's board of experts, Ahmad Yani, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Yani blamed social media for exaggerating reports of Suryadharma storming off from the podium after being told to cut his speech midway through by members of local organizers. "It was just a miscommunication between members of the organizing committee," Yani said.

On Monday, during an event held to welcome former members of the Ahmadiyah sect who had "returned" to mainstream Islamic teachings, Suryadharma had to stop his speech to allow the call to prayer to end from a nearby mosque.