Congress’s AI Generated Crowd Image Draws Fresh Criticism From Union Minister Kiren Rijiju

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on November 2 criticised the Congress over a photograph shared by party leaders showing a large crowd at the INDIA bloc rally held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan a day earlier. Rijiju alleged that the image was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) to create the impression of a packed venue. Sharing the photograph on social media platform X, he took a swipe at the Congress, saying the party should at least have prepared the AI-generated picture properly if it wanted to show a large gathering. He also accused the party of relying on a misleading narrative to portray the rally as a major show of strength.

The controversy began after Congress MP Vamsi Gaddam and other party leaders shared images depicting a large number of people gathered at the venue during the November 1 event. Rijiju attached one such image to his post and questioned its authenticity, claiming it had been created using AI. In his English-language remark, the minister wrote: “Even the fake AI photo to show that the Ramlila ground was full was not done properly by the fake narrative team of the Congress Party!” His comments added another dimension to the political dispute surrounding the rally, with the BJP and Congress exchanging accusations over the event's attendance and presentation.

The INDIA bloc organised the gathering to protest against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The opposition alliance has raised concerns over voter deletions and demanded accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The programme was attended by several prominent opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The march began near the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction before proceeding towards Ramlila Maidan, where supporters assembled for the rally. Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of facilitating what he described as “vote chori” and alleged that the revision of electoral rolls was affecting citizens' voting rights.

Also Read: Rijiju Criticises Naseeruddin Shah Over ‘Dimagi Naxal’ Video And Its Political Implications

He targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanded accountability over the process. Gandhi also said the opposition would continue its efforts through peaceful and democratic means to defend the Constitution. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is intended to update electoral rolls by removing duplicate and ineligible entries. The political disagreement over the process has continued, with opposition parties questioning its implementation and the poll body defending the exercise. The BJP also questioned the Congress-led alliance's claims about the number of people who attended the rally. BJP MP Sambit Patra disputed the INDIA bloc's reported target of gathering 10 lakh people and claimed that a substantial portion of Ramlila Maidan remained unoccupied during the event.

Patra said that between 3.30 pm and 4 pm, approximately 5,000 to 7,000 chairs out of the 28,000 arranged at the venue were vacant. He further alleged that around 40 per cent of the ground was empty. These figures were presented by the BJP as part of its criticism of the opposition's attendance claims. The Congress and the BJP have continued to trade accusations over the rally, with the opposition sharing visuals of the gathering and the ruling party questioning the scale of participation. The dispute has extended beyond the crowd estimates to include the authenticity of images circulated online. Rijiju's remarks have brought the use of AI-generated content into the political debate, while the original issue behind the rally remains the opposition's demand for accountability over electoral roll revisions and the role of the Election Commission.

Also Read: Congress Seeks Clarity From Kiren Rijiju On Whether Government Has Fresh Delimitation Proposal