Raihan Vadra asked to remove photos from exhibition

Let's now decode India. A photography exhibition in the national capital has triggered a political controversy. Rehan Vardhra, son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vardhra, has accused the management of Bikaner House of censorship after he was asked to remove photographs documenting youth protests. Well, the row has now escalated with Congress leaders accusing the BJP-led Rajasthan government of suppressing freedom of expression. But Bikaner House says that the photographs violated its exhibition policy. Rehan Vardhra had planned to showcase his work at Delhi's Bikaner House, titled No Idea is Final. The exhibition featured wildlife, abstract art and photographs documenting recent youth movements across India. But just hours before the opening, a dispute erupted over what could and what could not be displayed. Vardhra alleges that the venue's management asked him to remove around 70 of the 105 photographs. The reason given was that the images were political and inconsistent with the venue's policy. Vardhra says he had shared his exhibition plans in advance and had already excluded most images featuring political leaders and party slogans. He also claims that authorities threatened to cancel the exhibition unless the photographs were removed and the dispute did not end there. Vardhra says officials even objected to two photographs of the Indian tricolour. He refused to remove them without a written explanation. They sent me a notice at 3.30 saying if you don't remove it by 4pm, by 5pm, building is sealed, exhibition is cancelled. And then we complied, we flipped the paintings, the photographs, so you could only see the back of the frame, they had a problem with that. We took those down, piled them up on the side, they had a problem with that. So we put them in storage. I left two photos of the Indian flag, which they said take it down. I said this can't be against your policy, how can it be against your policy? and I said, give it to me in writing that you want me to take down a picture of the Indian flag. They didn't. Well, the controversy has now drawn a sharp response from the Congress. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra has publicly backed her son, criticizing those in power who fear artistic expression. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has also called the move censorship. And Congress leadership has questioned why photographs documenting public protests should be considered objectionable. But Bikaner House has defended its decision. In a statement, the management said certain photographs were inconsistent with the Bikaner House Management Society's policy. It maintained that the venue is a public cultural institution and that exhibitions must follow its rules. The management also said photographs that complied with the policy remained on display. The BJP national spokesperson, Gaurav Bhatia, targeted the Congress leadership and alleged that the Gandhi family was focusing on regaining power. Further targeting the Congress leadership, Bhatia alleged that the family was willing to do anything to regain power. Now, the dispute has moved beyond the exhibition itself. At its heart is a question about where cultural institutions draw the line between political content and artistic expression. While WADRA alleges censorship, the management insists that it is simply enforcing its rules.