StatesKeralam
Satheesan invites Raihan Vadra to show his photographs in Keralam after Bikaner House pulls 74
The Keralam Chief Minister offered to host the exhibition 'in its entirety' hours after the Delhi venue took down most of the pictures, many showing protests by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
Key points
- Bikaner House in Delhi removed 74 of the 105 photographs prepared for Raihan Vadra's exhibition on Thursday.
- Chief Minister V D Satheesan invited Raihan to hold the show in Keralam with "No exclusions, no exceptions".
- Bikaner House said the move followed its policies, and that only wildlife pictures are now on display.
Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Thursday evening invited Raihan Vadra to bring his photography exhibition to the state, hours after Bikaner House in Delhi took down most of the pictures on the day the show was due to open.
Satheesan said Keralam would be proud to host the exhibition, “No Idea is Final”, and that it could be shown without any cuts or changes. “No exclusions, no exceptions,” he wrote on X, offering to put it up in its entirety.
What came down
Raihan, the son of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had prepared 105 pictures for the show. Bikaner House asked for several to be removed on Thursday, and 74 were taken down. Most of them showed youth protests and protests involving Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
Raihan said the removals were announced only hours before the exhibition was to open. He also said pictures showing the national flag had been taken off the walls.
The Bikaner House Management Society said paintings that did not comply with its policies had been removed, and that only wildlife pictures were now on display. Officials at the venue said the step was needed to stay within the institution’s rules.
A political row
The Congress accused the authorities and the Centre of censoring artistic expression. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote on X, “When someone with power becomes afraid of the expression of another...”, and said she was proud of her son.
The BJP hit back. Its spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia criticised the Congress for dragging Raihan into politics and said Bikaner House policy does not allow artwork with political content.
Satheesan’s offer turns the episode into a contest between a Congress-run state and the Centre over who gets to decide what can be shown. The Chief Minister did not say where or when the exhibition might be held.