Hyderabad BJP candidate Madhavi asks Muslim women to remove burqa for ID check
Madhavi Latha, a BJP candidate running for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, sparked controversy on Monday when a video of her questioning Muslim women voters at a polling place went viral.
#WATCH | Telangana: BJP candidate from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, Madhavi Latha visits a polling booth in the constituency. Voting for the fourth phase of #LokSabhaElections2024 is underway. pic.twitter.com/BlsQXRn80C
— ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2024
Madhavi Latha is heard specifically requesting Muslim women wearing burqas to take off their “naqab,” or face veil, for verification in the now-viral video.
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Latha can be heard telling the women, “Uthaiye aap (lift this up),” as she verifies their voter ID cards while pointing to their headscarves.
The BJP candidate further questions the women, “How many years ago did you get this [voter card] made?”
She also asks to see their Aadhaar cards as well, for verification.
Madhavi defends her actions
Madhavi Latha defended her behavior by saying, “I am a contender. A candidate is legally permitted to examine ID cards without a face mask.”
She argued that since she was a woman too, it shouldn’t be too much to expect Muslim ladies to take off their burqas.
“I am not a man, I am a woman and with a lot of humbleness, I have only requested them – can I please see and verify with the ID cards. If somebody wants to make a big issue out of it, that means they are scared,” she said.
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Following the widespread distribution of the video capturing her acts, Latha was the subject of a Malakpet Police Station complaint.
This controversy is not the first for Latha; back in the past, she was criticized for imitating a Ram Navami parade by shooting an arrow toward a mosque in a video that went viral on social media.
A police complaint had been lodged filed her under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 295A, which addresses intentional acts that hurt religious sentiments.
