'Today it's him, tomorrow it'll be another artist': Priyanka Gandhi backs son Raihan after Bikaner House removes 74 photographs from exhibition

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has backed her son, artist and photographer Raihan Vadra, after several photographs from his upcoming exhibition at Delhi’s Bikaner House were removed.

Raihan Vadra, the son of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra, had said on Wednesday that the Bikaner House administration pulled down many of his photographs documenting the recent Delhi protests ahead of his solo exhibition, “No Idea is Final”.

The exhibition was previewed on Wednesday and opens on Thursday.

Priyanka Gandhi backs Raihan

Tagging Raihan Vadra, Priyanka Gandhi took a veiled jibe at the Modi government and said, "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".

In her message to Raihan, she said, "You stand for what is true and everything beautiful will find its way to you. I am proud of you, always will be."

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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also termed the removal of the photographs ridiculous and "muzzling" of the voice of the youth across the nation.

"Today it's him, tomorrow it'll be another artist," she told PTI.

Why were the photographs removed

Raihan said he was told at 3.30 pm on Wednesday that if the images were not taken down by 5 pm, the show would be cancelled.

He said he had shared the detailed proposal and layout of the show well in advance with the Bikaner House management. Bikaner House went ahead and took down some of the pictures.

A Bikaner House official said "they were not authorised to comment".

Two large rooms on the first floor of Bikaner House's CCA building were shorn of any activity as about 74 photographs were taken down a few hours ago.

"They told us at 3.30 pm today if the images are not taken down by 5 pm, the show will be cancelled. They said it is not the right time for such photos to be shown," Raihan had told PTI.

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Raihan says photographs only documented protests

Raihan said none of the images "gave out any political message and only documented the protests over the last six months".

"I felt it is my duty as an Indian artist, not just because I am doing a show right now, but it is my duty as an Indian artist to document what is going on... They are censoring the work of artists, I don't know what they are scared of. They even went to the extent of removing the picture of the Indian flag," he added.

When asked the reason for the photographs being removed, Raihan claimed that the Bikaner House administration said "given the current context and political climate in India, this is not the right time to show those images".

"So I made the argument that first of all, you can't say don't show political art because all art is political. There is no art without politics," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)