BJP candidate from Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat Kompella Madhavi Latha is embroiled in controversy after a video went viral. In this video, she is seen allegedly pointing an arrow towards a mosque during a procession.

The viral video appears to have been recorded during the Ram Navami procession in the city on Wednesday. Madhavi Latha, in a post on the social media platform X (the URL of which has gone back to that of Twitter), said that it had come to her notice that some vested interests made an incomplete video of hers go viral to spread negativity.

Madhavi Latha said, “I would like to clarify that this is an incomplete video and if anyone’s sentiment has been hurt due to the video, I apologise because I respect all individuals.”

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi targeted the BJP while reacting to the ‘arrow’ video on Thursday. He said, “Peace is under threat from the BJP and RSS.” He also slammed journalists for allegedly not giving due importance to the video.

Owaisi said, “You people are not showing the indecent aggressive act by the BJP and RSS near a religious structure. What kind of a message is being given such an action? If it were me, you people would put a snake around my neck.”

The AIMIM leader appealed to the youth of Hyderabad to maintain the peace and harmony that the city has been known for in the last 15 years, adding, “The BJP and RSS are trying to spoil the ‘Brand Hyderabad’.”

On a question from reporters about the ‘arrow’ video showing the BJP candidate, Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said on 18 April that the matter had not yet come to his notice.

About Kompella Madhavi Latha

Since 1984, the AIMIM has held a strong grip on the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, with Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, the father of Owaisi, winning the seat. Asaduddin Owaisi has held the seat since 2004. In the 2019 elections, there was a difference of approximately 3 lakh votes between Owaisi and Bhagavanth Rao of the BJP.

In the upcoming 2024 elections, the BJP aims to disrupt the current scenario by nominating Dr. Madhavi Latha. Dr. Madhavi Latha’s name was included in the first list of 195 BJP candidates, indicating the party’s serious focus on weaker constituencies.

After her nomination as the Hyderabad candidate, Madhavi Latha stated, “Dharmo rakshati rakshitah (Dharma protects those who protect it).” She gained prominence as the face of the BJP’s campaign against triple talaq and is a cultural activist. Madhavi Latha serves as the chairman of Hyderabad’s Virinchi Hospital and is a professional Bharatnatyam dancer. She is also a mother to two daughters and a son, and she made headlines for homeschooling all her children, with her eldest now studying at IIT.

Madhavi Latha was also a part of the NCC cadet and studied political science. Her husband, Vishwanath, is the founder and chairman of the Virinchi Hospital. She is well-known as a religious speaker and has dedicated herself to Hindu causes. Madhavi Latha is associated with charitable organizations such as the Lopamudra Charitable Trust and the LathaMa Foundation.

49-year-old K Madhavi Latha is the first woman to be nominated by the BJP for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency. Madhavi Latha’s unexpected emergence from Owaisi’s constituency surprised many, but she affirmed that she had dedicated the past year to serving the constituency.

“In the last year, every day, I have been visiting all those areas and working for 11-12 hours. There is nothing — no cleanliness, no education. Children in Madrasas are not getting food. Muslim children become child labourers, they have no future. And Hindu temples and homes are being occupied illegally,” she said about Hyderabad’s Old City.

“Why Old City is in such a pathetic condition. It’s not on the hills nor is it a tribal area; it is at the heart of Hyderabad the city for which Telangana and Andhra Pradesh fought. But at the heart of Hyderabad, there is poverty,” Madhavi Latha said.

“If somebody owns a constituency as an elected representative in a democracy for 40 years, imagine what it should have become by now. They should take retirement now. The tears of 21 lakh voters moved New Delhi and they declared war in Hyderabad. Now these people will get justice,” Madhavi Latha said.

Owaisi is not BJP’s B team and her nomination from the seat proved this, Madhavi Latha said.