Keralam BJP chief slams Satheesan for 'preferential treatment'

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has offered to host the exhibition of artist and photographer Rehan Vadra, son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi. The development comes amid controversy over the removal of photographs depicting student protests in India from his exhibition at Delhi's Bikaner House. The Kerala Chief Minister took to social media platform X where he wrote that Kerala would be happy and proud to host the exhibition in its entirety. Chief Minister Satishan's comment came in response to Priyanka Gandhi's tweet. Satishan's interview drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party with the state BJP President Rajiv Chandrasekhar accusing Satishan and the Congress of granting preferential treatment to the Wayanad MP's son. In a post on X, Satishan alleged ordinary Malayali youngsters were being assaulted by police during protest even as it welcomed an MP's son to host his exhibition. Rehan Vadra had planned to showcase his work at Delhi's Bikaner House. Titled No Idea is Final, the exhibition featured wildlife, abstract art and photographs documenting recent youth movements across India. But just hours before the opening, the dispute erupted over what could and could not be displayed. Vadra alleges that the venue's management asked him to remove around 70 of the 105 photographs. The reason given was that the images were political and inconsistent with the venue's policy. Vadra says he had shared his exhibition plans in advance and had already excluded most images featuring political leaders and party slogans. He also claims that authorities threatened to cancel the exhibition unless the photographs were removed. And the dispute did not end there. Vadra says officials even objected to two photographs of the Indian tricolour. He refused to remove them without a written explanation. But Bikaner House has defended its decision in a statement. Management said certain photographs were inconsistent with the Bikaner House Management Society's policy. It maintained that the venue is a public cultural institution and that exhibitions must follow its rules. The management also said photographs that complied with the policy remained on display. The dispute has now moved beyond the exhibition itself. At its heart is a question about where cultural institutions draw the line between political content and artistic expression. While Vadra alleged censorship, the management insists it is simply enforcing its rules.