AI Photo Controversy Deepens Political Row Over INDIA Bloc Rally, Rijiju Targets Congress

NEW DELHI: A political battle over the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan has intensified, with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accusing the Congress of circulating an artificial intelligence-generated photograph to exaggerate the size of the gathering.

The controversy has added another dimension to the confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Opposition over alleged electoral irregularities and the functioning of the Election Commission.

Rijiju took to social media on Sunday to ridicule a photograph depicting what appeared to be a densely packed rally ground.

He alleged that the visual had been created using AI and suggested that even the attempt to portray an impressive turnout had not been executed convincingly.

The photograph had been circulated by Congress leaders, including former MP and Congress Working Committee member Jagdish Thakor and party MP Vamsi Gaddam.

The minister subsequently shared the disputed image while questioning its authenticity. The image also attracted attention because the figures and stage arrangement depicted in it appeared inconsistent with the actual rally setting.

The controversy has since moved beyond social media, becoming a fresh point of attack in the BJP-Congress confrontation over the success of the Opposition gathering.

BJP disputes Congress’s crowd estimates

The BJP has maintained that the rally failed to attract anything close to the attendance figures projected by Congress leaders ahead of the event.

Congress had indicated that approximately 10 lakh people would participate in the demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

BJP MP Sambit Patra challenged that projection, presenting what he described as visual evidence of substantial vacant space at the venue.

He claimed that nearly 40 per cent of the ground remained unoccupied and that between 5,000 and 7,000 chairs were empty when the gathering was underway between 3.30 pm and 4 pm.

Patra said approximately 28,000 chairs had been arranged at the venue and questioned how the Opposition could reconcile the visible gaps with its earlier projection of a 10-lakh turnout.

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan also dismissed the gathering as an unsuccessful political exercise.

He alleged that several participants began leaving when Rahul Gandhi started addressing the audience and argued that the event had failed to generate the political momentum anticipated by the Opposition.

Congress insists rally marked a major political moment

The Congress, however, has strongly contested the BJP’s assessment. Party leaders have maintained that the demonstration attracted an exceptionally large gathering and represented growing public concern over the electoral process.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Misra-Mona described the turnout as historic. She said party workers, ordinary citizens and members of civil society had participated enthusiastically, including people who had remained away from active Congress politics for years.

She also maintained that the demonstration could mark the beginning of a wider public movement and credited Rahul Gandhi’s leadership with bringing different sections of society together.

Congress leaders have circulated photographs and aerial footage of the gathering to counter the BJP’s allegations.

Party general secretary KC Venugopal also claimed that the mobilisation extended beyond the rally ground, with large numbers of supporters reaching different parts of the capital.

Congress leader Pawan Khera, meanwhile, said he had witnessed political gatherings at Ramlila Maidan for three decades but had rarely seen one of comparable scale.

The rival political camps have therefore offered sharply different interpretations of the event. No independently established figure for the total attendance has emerged, leaving the competing claims disputed.

Rahul Gandhi issues warning to Chief Election Commissioner

The rally was organised as part of the INDIA bloc’s campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and what the Opposition describes as irregularities in the conduct of elections.

Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of facilitating what he termed vote theft. He declared that the Opposition would continue its campaign and predicted that Kumar would eventually lose his position and face imprisonment.

Gandhi also thanked supporters through a social media message, describing their participation as a powerful expression of public resistance against alleged electoral manipulation.

He said the turnout demonstrated that democratic institutions and the people’s voice would ultimately prevail.

The Opposition leader further alleged that the BJP’s electoral victories were linked to irregularities in the voting process, an accusation rejected by the ruling party and the Election Commission.

INDIA bloc leaders unite on electoral issue

The November 1 gathering brought together several prominent Opposition figures, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Their presence was intended to demonstrate a united Opposition position on the electoral roll revision exercise and the allegations directed at the poll panel.

With the BJP questioning the rally’s attendance and the Congress defending its political significance, the controversy has now shifted to competing photographs, crowd estimates and social media narratives.

The dispute has also highlighted how AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of political communication and the contest over public perception.