Online Desk: Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in Telangana’s Hyderabad and Nizamabad constituencies were caught on camera demanding burqa-clad Muslim women to remove veils and prove their credentials as polling got underway on Monday in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections.
Dharampuri Arvind, the sitting MP and candidate in Nizamabad and Madhavi Latha contesting the Hyderabad seat even demanded from the Election Commission officials not to allow Muslim women to vote. Madhavi Latha was booked for checking IDs and forcing Muslim women to remove their veils. The Election Commission was forced to register a case against her after videos of the incident went viral and she drew widespread condemnation for her action.
Similarly, a video of the Nizamabad BJP candidate threatening poll officials inside a booth has gone viral. “How would we know if she is a voter or not? Are you just time passing here or doing your duty,” Arvind is heard saying in the video. Revathi, a journalist, slammed Arvind calling his objection to the burqa a “primordial rhetoric.”
BJP MP candidate Dharmapuri Arvind who has been facing a lot of flak for not doing anything in the constituency … on the day of election resorts to primordial rhetoric! Questions women for wearing a burkha for voting. Well! Women’s choice of clothing is the most important issue in this country
If he still wins, you know whom to blame!,” she posted. Khalid Parveen, a woman activist based in Hyderabad, said that the candidate has no right to question the burqa or hijab being worn by women. It is for women officials to check the identity of female voters.
“Candidate has no right to question on #Burqa or #Niqab. There should be female persons in polling booths to check the candidates. Shame on #Arvind Dharmapuri bjp candidate Nizamabad,” she wrote.
Navaid Hamid, former president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), said the BJP candidate Dharampuri Arvind and Madhavi Latha were bullying the Muslim voters through such actions. He accused the Election Commission of lowering the voter turnout of Muslims by allowing all this to happen.
“#BJP candidates #Arvindharmapuri #MadhaviLatha bullying Muslim women voters in #Nizamabad #Hyderabad #LSabhaConstituencies by unauthorizedly checking voters cards inside polling booths. @SpokespersonECIare encouraging every step to lower Muslim voter percentage,” he posted.
Informing about the case against Latha, the Hyderabad collector posted: “A case is registered in Malakpet Police Station against Smt Madhavi Latha, contesting candidate, BJP under sections 171C, 186, 505(1)(c) of IPC and Section 132 of the Representation of the People Act”