Priyanka Gandhi’s son Raihan Vadra slams removal of protest photos from his exhibition in Delhi

Hyderabad: Raihan Vadra, son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has alleged that Bikaner House management forced him to remove most of the artworks from his exhibition, No Idea Is Final, hours before it opened in New Delhi.

In a statement shared on Instagram, Raihan said the photographs documented youth protests in Delhi and were deemed “objectionable” by the venue’s management. He said he was asked to remove two photographs of the Indian national flag, the Tiranga, but refused.

“I will not take down a picture of the Indian flag,” Raihan said, adding that the exhibition would go ahead in part for the time being. He said he would find another venue to display the complete collection of protest photographs.

Raihan said he had been asked to remove the bulk of the artworks just hours before the exhibition’s scheduled opening. Reports said 74 of the 105 photographs were affected, leaving only a portion of the collection on display.

Priyanka Gandhi supported her son in a post on X, criticising the decision as an attempt to suppress expression.

“When someone with power becomes afraid of the expression of another, he doesn’t know it, but he has already lost the very power he is trying to protect,” she wrote.

“You stand for what is true and everything beautiful will find its way to you. I am proud of you, always will be,” she added.

The dispute has drawn attention to questions of artistic freedom and the display of politically sensitive work at Bikaner House, a Rajasthan government-run venue. Raihan has said he intends to exhibit the full collection elsewhere.