"Where Did Mosque Come From?": BJP Hyderabad Candidate On "Imaginary Arrow" Row
NDTV
BJP Hyderabad candidate Madhavi Latha has professed an apology "if anyone's feelings are hurt", and also claimed the video circulated online was "incomplete".
A Telangana BJP Lok Sabha candidate's gesture at an election rally - pretending to draw and fire an arrow while near a mosque - has been heavily criticised, with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slamming the "vulgar, obscene, and provocative" action during a Ram Navami rally on Wednesday मेरे संज्ञान में आया है कि मेरा एक वीडियो मीडिया में नकारात्मकता पैदा करने के लिए प्रसारित किया जा रहा है।मैं स्पष्ट करना चाहती हूँ कि यह एक अधूरा वीडियो है और ऐसे वीडियो के कारण भी अगर किसी की भावनाएं आहत होती हैं तो मैं माफी मांगना चाहूंगी क्योंकि मैं सभी का सम्मान करती हूँ। Here's what BJP's Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency candidate Madhavi Latha (@Kompella_MLatha) said on the controversy over a video in which she was purportedly seen gesturing shooting an arrow towards a mosque."Yesterday (April 17), on the occasion of Ram Navami, I was… pic.twitter.com/f7eAPoNG4S #WATCH हैदराबाद: रामनवमी यात्रा के दौरान हैदराबाद की भाजपा उम्मीदवार माधवी लता द्वारा कथित तौर पर हैदराबाद की मस्जिद पर तीर चलाने का नाटक करने वाले वीडियो पर AIMIM प्रमुख असदुद्दीन ओवैसी ने कहा, "... हैदराबाद के लोगों ने भाजपा के इरादों को देखा है। वे भाजपा-आरएसएस की अश्लील और… pic.twitter.com/ovvz65Nkco
The BJP leader in question - Madhavai Latha is the party's candidate for the Hyderabad seat, which has been held by Mr Owaisi since 2004 and his father, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, since 1989. Ms Latha posted a statement on X Thursday evening, after the row erupted, professing to apologise "if anyone's feelings are hurt". However, she also claimed the video circulated is "incomplete".
In a 10-second clip that has been widely shared, Ms Latha, dressed in saffron and with a garland of yellow flowers around her neck, makes a dramatic flourish. She pretends to draw an arrow from a quiver on her back, notches the pretend arrow, and then fires the imaginary weapon, at which point loud music is played. The clip online pans to show the mosque at the point she fires the 'arrow'.
