New Delhi: A purported drone image of the gathering at the INDI bloc rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday has led to a political row, with Union minister Kiren Rijiju calling it AI-generated.
In a post on X, he attached the image posted by Congress MP Vamsi Gaddam and other party leaders, showing crowds at the rally, saying that the Opposition party had to resort to AI images to show crowds.
“Even the fake AI photo to show that Ramlila ground was full is not done properly by the fake narrative team of Congress Party!” Rijiju said, as reported by NDTV.
The photograph was also shared by a number of Congress supporters on social media. The same image of the crowd was also posted by former MP and CWC member Jagdish Thakor on his social media.
However, many social media users called out the image as AI-generated. It showed AI images of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi on the rally stage, which also appeared different from the original stage at the rally venue, they claimed.
On Sunday, the BJP termed the rally a flop show, claiming that the crowd was nowhere close to what the Opposition had claimed. The ruling party leaders posted images and videos of empty chairs at the rally and claimed that at least 40 per cent of the ground was empty.
The Congress had claimed that 10 lakh people would attend the protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in a run-up to the rally.
“The Congress said there will be a crowd of 10 lakh, but 40 per cent of the ground was empty,” BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said on Sunday evening.
“The crowd shown at the rally was “trick photography… tricks don’t make one Prime Minister,” he added, taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi.
While speaking at the rally, Rahul claimed that the 2024 election was illegal because of the vote theft conducted by Gyanesh Kumar. However, Kumar was not the election commission chief at that time. He took over in February 2025.
“This theft of votes is no ordinary theft. This is the theft of every voice of India. This is called treason,” Gandhi said.
“Without Gyanesh Kumar, neither would Narendra Modi have become Prime Minister nor Amit Shah the Home Minister,” he argued, insisting that Kumar will “go to jail” for the role he played.
Patra hit back and said allegations about illegal polls “don’t happen from Ramlila grounds”.
“You challenge the elections immediately after the election, not like this… Show me the petition you have filed that 2024 election is illegal,” he said.
On Saturday, the Opposition bloc carried out a symbolic “impeachment” of CEC Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence.
The Election Commission and the BJP have refuted the allegations and accused the Opposition of spreading a “fake narrative” against the institution.