BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari questioned whether Priyanka Gandhi had lost faith in Rahul, alleging that she was seeking to 'soft-launch' her son by manufacturing a controversy.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
New Delhi,Oct 23, 2026 12:52 IST
The BJP on Friday claimed that an internal battle between Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka was playing out within the Congress, citing the Leader of the Opposition's silence on the controversy over the removal of photographs from Raihan Vadra's exhibition. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari questioned whether Priyanka had lost faith in her brother, alleging that she was seeking to "soft-launch" her son by manufacturing a controversy.
Rahul, who left for Vietnam last Sunday on a personal visit, has not posted anything on the controversy yet. The BJP has latched on to it to allege a rift between the Gandhi siblings. However, just days ago, Rahul and Priyanka jointly led protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged SIR irregularities.
"Priyanka Vadra's entire attempt was to soft launch her son by manufacturing a controversy. She has lost political faith in Rahul Gandhi!" Bhandari tweeted.
"Rahul Gandhi, who from Vietnam is tweeting on every issue under the sun, has till now not openly done a single tweet in favour of Raihan Vadra. Its Priyanka vs Rahul in Congress!" he further said.
WHAT IS THE ROW OVER RAIHAN VADRA'S EXHIBITION?
On Wednesday, Raihan, an artist and photographer, said the Bikaner House administration had taken down several of his photographs depicting recent student protests in Delhi ahead of his exhibition, titled 'No Idea is Final'. It invited a furious reaction from the Congress, with Priyanka calling it a bid to "muzzle" the voice of the youth.
Raihan said hours before his exhibition was due to open on Wednesday evening, he was asked by the Bikaner House management to remove or replace 74 of his 105 photographs. When the exhibition started, only 35 frames remained.
Reacting to the controversy, Bikaner House stated that the photographs were "found to be inconsistent" with the policy of the venue.
Sharing screenshots of the email exchange between Raihan and Bikaner House, the BJP said the initial exhibition proposal listed themes such as nature, wildlife, abstract artworks, portraits, and sculptures. Bhandari said there was no mention of any "political content".
"Raihan Vadra's email to Bikaner House dated June 10, and the proposal he sent to Bikaner House in the same mail had him declare the exhibition containing themes of nature, wildlife, artwork, sculpture," Bhandari posted.
Bikaner House accepted the proposal on June 30. The BJP suggested that the political photographs were added later.
On October 21, Bikaner House sent a notice to Raihan asking him to remove 74 photographs, saying they were not in line with the stated policy.
"Raihan was aware of the booking guidelines. This is why his initial exhibition idea, which he was working on for 3 years, had no political content," Bhandari said.
"Under pressure of his family for a political launch, the political photographs were inserted later on to which Bikaner House reverted asking for removal on October 21," he further said.
The BJP said the exchanges only expose the "lie" of Priyanka Vadra and the Congress.
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