‘Disgrace at so many levels’: Tharoor on removal of Raihan Vadra’s exhibition photos

Tharoor backs Raihan Vadra, says protest photos are not political in themselves

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday criticised the removal of photographs from Raihan Vadra's exhibition at Bikaner House in New Delhi, saying the move had damaged India's global reputation as a freedom-loving democracy and raised serious concerns over freedom of expression.In a post on X, Tharoor described the incident as a "disgrace at so many levels", arguing that photographs documenting protest demonstrations depicted events and did not necessarily convey political positions."This is a disgrace at so many levels," Thiruvananthapuram MP said, listing his objections to the decision to remove the photographs from the exhibition, "No Idea Is Final".

He said the images documented events that had already received widespread public and media attention, questioning why photographs of demonstrations should be considered political content simply because they depicted protests."The images are of events that have already been burned into the public consciousness, and many of the photos would have echoed similar images that the public has already seen in the media and online," Tharoor said, adding that "While Bikaner House is free to have a policy against political stands, photographs of a protest demonstration are a depiction of an event and not political in themselves; they would almost certainly have passed muster had the matter been brought to a court as an issue of freedom of expression.

"He further alleged that the decision had hurt India's international image."And worst of all, this censorship has driven one more nail into the coffin of India's global reputation as a freedom-loving democracy," the Congress MP said.Tharoor also pointed out that the controversy had brought significant attention to Raihan Vadra's photographic work, potentially exposing it to a much wider audience than the exhibition would otherwise have reached."Anyway, the publicity this episode has received will have reached a far larger audience, in Delhi and worldwide, than the exhibition itself might have, had it been allowed to proceed undisturbed. I thank heavy-handed officials for giving a well-deserved boost to the photographic talents and career of Raihan Vadra," Tharoor said.The row began after Raihan Vadra, son of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, alleged that Bikaner House management had asked him to remove several photographs from his exhibition shortly before its scheduled opening.

According to him, the images included photographs documenting student protests and two pictures of the Indian national flag.The Bikaner House Management Society said certain photographs did not comply with its policy and that their removal had been requested. It maintained that photographs meeting the venue's guidelines continued to be displayed.

The incident sparked a political confrontation, with Congress leaders criticising the decision as an infringement on artistic expression, while the BJP maintained that exhibitions must follow the venue's rules.Amid the controversy, Keralam chief minister VD Satheesan offered to host the exhibition in its entirety, saying the state would be proud to welcome “No Idea Is Final”, with "no exclusions, no exceptions".However, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar questioned the offer, alleging preferential treatment for Raihan Vadra and asking whether ordinary young people received similar attention to their rights and work.