Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday described the removal of certain photographs from Raihan Vadra's exhibition at Bikaner House as "petty" and "stupid", saying the decision cast a shadow on India's reputation as a democracy that values freedom of expression.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP made the remarks after visiting the exhibition by Raihan, son of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and businessman Robert Vadra, and expressed disappointment over the blank spaces left on the walls following the removal of photographs depicting protests.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Tharoor questioned why photographs documenting public demonstrations should be considered objectionable at a venue dedicated to art and culture.
"The Bikaner House was supposed to be a place of art and culture, and to be very honest, people don't come to look at photographs out of any sense of political agitation. This is not a place where anyone is going to start shouting slogans, they come to see an artist's eye, something he has framed," he said.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ
The Congress leader said it was distressing to see empty walls where the photographs had originally been intended for display.
Referring to one section of the exhibition, Tharoor said photographs of protests had been removed from a wall bearing the Preamble to the Constitution.
"There is one wall where he (Raihan) planned to have photographs of protests and beneath that was the Preamble of the Constitution, that they could not take down as it is painted on the wall. So, the Preamble is there but the photographs are gone," he said.
Tharoor questioned the reasoning behind the decision, arguing that visitors to art exhibitions come to appreciate creative work rather than engage in political agitation.
He said such decisions reflected an unnecessary fear of allowing the public to view photographs of events that had already taken place.
๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต ๐ฟ๐ผ๐
Responding to Raihan's objection over the removal of a photograph featuring the national flag, Tharoor described the decision as "utterly shocking".
"Just as they can't deface the Preamble of the Constitution, they have no right to deface the flag. I think there is a certain stupidity, I will use a strong word, not just pettiness, not just heavy handedness but stupidity behind a decision like that," he said.
He added that there was nothing about the national flag or the Constitution that should make an Indian uncomfortable.
Tharoor said the episode raised broader questions about the country's commitment to protecting creative expression.
"It was the kind of decision that casts a shadow on our reputation as a land of democracy, as a country that protects freedom of expression and that values creative expression," he said.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Despite his criticism, Tharoor said the controversy had inadvertently helped Raihan by drawing national attention to his photographic work.
Praising the young photographer's artistic abilities, particularly his wildlife photography, Tharoor said Raihan had a "wonderful eye" and described his wildlife photographs as "absolutely special".
"Finally, I would say to those who took these absolutely petty decisions that they have actually done him a favour because now the entire country knows about this exhibition," he said.
Tharoor observed that individuals from prominent political families were often identified primarily through their family connections rather than their individual achievements.
He said the controversy had allowed people to recognise Raihan's artistic interests and abilities independently of his family background.
๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Earlier, Tharoor criticised the removal of photographs in a post on X, calling it a "disgrace" and arguing that images of public demonstrations were records of events rather than political statements.
"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," he said.
He argued that such photographs would likely withstand judicial scrutiny if their removal were challenged on freedom of expression grounds.
Tharoor also said the episode had damaged India's international reputation as a country committed to democratic freedoms.
"And worst of all, this censorship has driven one more nail into the coffin of India's global reputation as a freedom-loving democracy," he said.
The Bikaner House Society, however, said it had sought the removal of certain photographs because they were inconsistent with its policy.
The clarification came after Raihan alleged that several photographs of recent Delhi protests had been removed ahead of his solo exhibition.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in an apparent criticism of the government, said on Thursday that when those in power become afraid of another person's expression, they have already lost the very power they seek to protect.
The controversy has drawn attention to questions surrounding artistic freedom and the display of politically sensitive photographs at public cultural venues.