Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has backed her son, artist Raihan Vadra, after he said Bikaner House management forced him to remove dozens of protest photographs just before his exhibition opened.
Posting on X on Thursday, Priyanka tagged her son and wrote: "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."
.@raihanrvadra 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. You stand for what is true and everything beautiful will find its way to you. I am proud of you, always will be. ❤️ mama
Also Read | Layoffs Are Rising In Tech, But These Skills Are Helping People Unlock Better Pay
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 22, 2026
She added: "You stand for what is true and everything beautiful will find its way to you." She ended with: "I am proud of you, always will be," signing off with a red heart and "mama".
Her post carried two images. One is the exhibition poster, titled "No Idea Is Final", in white block letters on a red wall, with Raihan's name above it. The other shows Raihan seated on a chair.
The show is being held at Bikaner House, a cultural venue run by the Rajasthan government. As per reports, 74 of the 105 photographs planned for the exhibition were removed on October 21, hours before the preview, after the venue called them "political".
Raihan told PTI he had been asked to take down 75 or face cancellation of the show.
ALSO READ | Delhi CJP Protests: Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi March To SC With AISA's Neha Bohra; Thousands Follow
Describing the sequence of events, Raihan said: "I was approached by the Bikaner House management over the phone, saying that some of the photos I was planning to display were objectionable and against their policy. I said, okay, let me know what the photos are, give me the reasoning, give it to me in writing, because I am not inclined to remove those photos immediately until you give me a full explanation."
He said the Deputy Resident Commissioner later told him all the photographs had to go, and refused to put it in writing. Then, he said, the Principal Resident Commissioner walked through the show with him.
"He basically said that the context and timing of displaying these pictures was incorrect and that I had not shared these pictures with them before," Raihan said.
"I said that I had shared a layout with these images a week earlier. They then said that the layout was not legible and they couldn't read it. I said, but then you could have told me six days ago. You're telling me four hours before my show, what am I going to do?"
Priyanka had also criticised the removals on Wednesday, accusing the authorities of suppressing young people's voices, PTI reported.
Congress has said the photographs merely documented protests and none was derogatory or inflammatory.
ALSO READ | BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi, Congress Amid CJP Protest Crackdown In Delhi: 'India Is Not A Banana Republic'
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
