A video has recently gone massively viral on social media. In the prayer room at Delhi Airport, BJP leader Kompella Madhavi Latha is seen reciting the ‘Durga Suktam’. In one corner of the room, some Muslim women are offering namaz. This scene should have been a living example of India’s tradition of ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’ (equal respect for all religions). Instead, it has exposed the face of Islamist hardliners that is usually whitewashed as ‘secular’.
What exactly is the problem? It is a public prayer room where people of every faith can perform their worship. A Hindu woman quietly offered her prayers there. She did not say a single word to anyone, nor did she disturb anyone’s worship. Yet, on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the so-called ‘Muslim IT cell’ and some prominent handles erupted in outrage.
The False Narrative of ‘Oppression’
Let us examine what is causing their ‘discomfort’:
1. The handle ‘The Muslim’ accused Madhavi Latha of starting her puja only after seeing the Muslim women and deliberately harassing them. In other words, a Hindu woman’s faith in her God is so ‘fragile’ that it only awakens upon seeing Muslims? Isn’t this arrogance — assuming the entire world revolves around you? A woman simply prayed according to her faith, and calling it ‘oppression’ is the finest example of Islamist mentality.
2. User ‘Harun Khan’ called it a ‘provocative’ act. The question is: why do you get agitated upon hearing a religious hymn like Durga Suktam? If a devotional chant feels like ‘provocation’ to you, it raises a big question about the tolerance of your own religion.
3. The most ridiculous argument came from user ‘Al Farsi’, who labelled it as ‘oppression of Muslims’. Brother, oppression is when someone’s worship is forcibly stopped, mosques are demolished, or loudspeakers are removed. Here, a woman was quietly sitting in a corner reciting prayers. If this is oppression, then what do you call the namaz offered on streets, causing traffic jams, and in public places? That is called ‘religious freedom’, while this is labelled ‘oppression’? This double standard is the hallmark of Islamist hardliners.
Who Owns the ‘Prayer Room’?
Netizens have raised a perfectly valid question. Delhi Airport’s prayer room is not reserved only for Muslims — it is for passengers of every religion. If namaz can be offered there, why can’t Durga Suktam be recited?
One X user, Abhijeet Majumdar, rightly remarked with sarcasm: “Durga Stuti has agitated these insects so much… just two drops of this medicine, and they start screaming in pain.” It is true that when people of other faiths pray within their limited space, these people object. But they call the azaan blared five times a day on loudspeakers and namaz on streets ‘India’s culture’.
Advocate Vineet Jindal’s statement is also significant. He said that when Hindus worship at designated places, these people object and portray themselves as victims. This is the mentality of ‘shameless Islamist people’. This is nothing new. When the issue of worship rights at Kashi-Mathura arises, the same people chant the tune of ‘secularism’ and ‘minorities’. But when a Hindu woman exercises her right at a place like the airport, the same people declare it ‘oppression’.
Madhavi Latha: Not Just a Leader, But a Symbol
Kompella Madhavi Latha is not merely a BJP leader who contested against Asaduddin Owaisi from Hyderabad. She is a symbol of a Hindu woman who stands firm on her faith. While sharing the video on her X account, she wrote: “Before moving towards public welfare, inner purification and balance are essential.” She drew strength from the ‘Mother of the Universe’ according to her devotion.
This is her personal and constitutional right. But those who are bothered by this video should understand one thing: the era in India is over when only one community enjoyed the freedom to worship everywhere, while others needed a ‘secular certificate’ even to show their faith in public places.
Conclusion: The Height of ‘Appeasement’
This entire episode highlights the mentality of ‘appeasement’, where one-sided tolerance has been equated with secularism. When Muslims perform their worship, it is ‘religious freedom’. When Hindus perform theirs, it becomes ‘provocation’ and ‘oppression’.
Netizens have correctly cornered these Islamist hardliners. The prayer room belongs to everyone, and those who feel so much discomfort from another religion’s prayer should first study the lessons of tolerance and non-violence in the core teachings of their own religion. Madhavi Latha’s video is an answer to all those who consider Hindu faith secondary in public spaces. Hindu society will no longer retreat in prayer rooms, nor compromise on its rights.
This is the new rule of ‘secular’ India: equal rights, equal opportunities, and no one’s religious sentiments will be used as a weapon of appeasement.
