KIREN RIJIJU MOCKS CONGRESS OVER ALLEGED AI-GENERATED CROWD IMAGE FROM RAMLILA RALLY

November 2, 2026

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday criticised the Congress over a photograph circulated in connection with the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, alleging that the party had used an artificially generated image to portray a massive gathering.

Taking to social media platform X, Rijiju claimed that the photograph was AI-generated and mocked the Congress, saying that it should at least have prepared the image properly to make the venue appear completely packed. His remarks added another dimension to the political confrontation surrounding the Opposition’s rally against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The INDIA bloc had organised the demonstration to protest against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Several prominent Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, participated in the gathering.

The question of attendance subsequently became a subject of political dispute. Before the rally, the INDIA bloc had projected a turnout of approximately 10 lakh people. BJP leader Sambit Patra later questioned that figure, claiming that thousands of chairs remained vacant at the venue during part of the programme.

The Congress's alleged use of an AI-generated crowd photograph, however, was presented as a claim by Rijiju; the allegation was not independently established in the report. The controversy has further intensified the political exchange between the BJP and the INDIA bloc, with both sides contesting the narrative surrounding the scale and significance of the demonstration.