Congress Party AI image incident — Nov 2026

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the Congress Party of utilizing AI-generated imagery to exaggerate the turnout at an INDIA bloc rally held at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. The allegation centers on a viral image shared by Congress MP Vamsi Gaddam and other party supporters, which purportedly depicted a massive crowd at the event.

What happened

The controversy emerged after social media users on X flagged an image shared by Congress leadership as being AI-generated. According to Minister Rijiju, the image featured synthetic depictions of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi on the rally stage that did not accurately reflect the actual stage setup at the venue. Rijiju criticized the party's "fake narrative team," claiming the image was poorly executed.

This incident occurred against the backdrop of a broader political dispute regarding the rally's success. While the Congress had previously claimed that 10 lakh people would attend the protest against Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the BJP characterized the event as a "flop show." BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that 40 percent of the ground remained empty, citing images and videos of vacant chairs. In response to these claims, the Congress maintained that a large crowd had gathered, sharing their own drone footage and photographs to counter the BJP's narrative. The rally itself was attended by several prominent opposition figures, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and various regional leaders, as part of a campaign questioning the conduct of the Election Commission.