Rahul Visits Nephew Raihan's Exhibition Amid Photo Row
The decision sparked criticism from Opposition leaders: Reports
NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday visited his nephew Raihan Vadra's photography exhibition at Bikaner House in central Delhi, amid a controversy over the removal of photographs depicting recent protests in the national capital.
Gandhi's visit came days after the Bikaner House management asked Raihan, son of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and businessman Robert Vadra, to remove several photographs from his solo exhibition, No Idea Is Final.
The Bikaner House Management Society said the photographs were inconsistent with its policy and that their removal had been requested on those grounds.
The decision sparked criticism from Opposition leaders, including Ms Priyanka Gandhi, who suggested that those in power were afraid of artistic expression.
In an apparent swipe at the government, she said last week that when someone in power became afraid of another person's expression, they had already lost the very power they sought to protect.
Meanwhile, Robert Vadra on Sunday expressed support for his son in a Facebook post, praising his commitment to photography despite the challenges surrounding the exhibition.
Sharing photographs taken by Raihan during recent protests against alleged vote theft, Vadra said his son remained focused on his work while respecting others' sentiments.
He said Raihan continued to face difficulties but would emerge stronger and wiser from every experience.
Vadra wished his son strength, wisdom and courage to overcome challenges and pursue his work.