The BJP has accused Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of being at odds over the controversy surrounding the removal of photographs from an exhibition by Priyanka’s son, Raihan Vadra. The party alleged that Priyanka was using the dispute to promote her son politically, while Rahul’s silence on the issue indicated a possible divide within the Congress family.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari raised the allegations on social media, questioning why Rahul Gandhi had not publicly supported Raihan despite commenting on other issues. Rahul, who travelled to Vietnam on a personal visit last Sunday, has not issued a public statement on the exhibition controversy so far.

“Priyanka Vadra's entire attempt was to soft launch her son by manufacturing a controversy. She has lost political faith in Rahul Gandhi!” Bhandari wrote.

In another post, he claimed Rahul had been commenting on several issues from Vietnam but had not openly backed his nephew. Bhandari described the situation as “Priyanka vs Rahul in Congress”.

The BJP’s claims come days after the Gandhi siblings jointly led protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

What Triggered the Raihan Vadra Exhibition Controversy?

The dispute began after Raihan Vadra, an artist and photographer, alleged that the administration at Bikaner House in Delhi had asked him to remove dozens of photographs from his exhibition, titled No Idea is Final, shortly before its scheduled opening on Wednesday.

Raihan told India Today that he was asked to remove or replace 74 of the 105 photographs he had prepared. By the time the exhibition opened, only 35 frames remained. He said the collection represented three years of work.

According to Raihan, he had shared the exhibition layout with Bikaner House on October 15 and received an acknowledgement. His father, businessman Robert Vadra, also told India Today that objections were raised after Raihan had begun installing the photographs.

Bikaner House said the images in question were “found to be inconsistent” with the venue’s policy. The development triggered criticism from Congress leaders, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra describing the move as an attempt to silence young voices.

BJP Questions Whether Political Content Was Added Later

Bhandari subsequently shared screenshots of email correspondence between Raihan and Bikaner House to argue that the exhibition’s original proposal did not include political photographs.

According to the BJP spokesperson, an email sent by Raihan on June 10 outlined themes including nature, wildlife, abstract art, portraits and sculptures. Bhandari said the venue accepted the proposal on June 30 and claimed the political images were introduced at a later stage.

He also referred to a notice dated October 21 asking Raihan to remove 74 photographs, arguing that the artist was aware of the venue’s booking conditions.

Bhandari alleged that the photographs depicting protests were added under pressure from the family as part of an attempt to give Raihan a political launch. He said the email exchanges contradicted the Congress’s account of the controversy.

These claims form the BJP’s interpretation of the correspondence, while Raihan has maintained that the removal of the photographs disrupted an exhibition he had spent years preparing.

The row has since developed into a political dispute, with the BJP questioning the Congress family’s motives and the Congress criticising the decision to remove the photographs from the exhibition.