The statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens atRashtrapati Bhavanhas been replaced with a bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, India's first Governor-General. President Droupadi Murmu unveiled the bust of Rajagopalachari, also known as Rajaji, at the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap on Monday, opposite Mahatma Gandhi's statue. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, in his "Mann Ki Baat" address, said the unveiling of Rajaji's bust is one of the steps towards "removing the vestiges of a colonial mindset", a move that has left the Opposition divided.
The initiative is part of a series of steps being taken towards shedding the vestiges of a colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India's culture, heritage and timeless traditions, a statement issued by the president's office said.
Several monuments and government buildings, including the India Gate in New Delhi, were designed by Lutyens along with another distinguished British architect, Herbert Baker. Portraits of British imperial officials who exploited India also adorned corridors of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, now replaced by portraits of Param Vir Chakra awardees.
As Rajagopalachari's bust was installed instead of the statue of Lutyens, Prime Minister Modi called it a "moment of pride" for the people of India and described the occasion, along with the celebration of 'Rajaji Utsav', as a tribute to one of India's important nation-builders.
After the unveiling of the statue, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor lauded the move. In a post on X, Tharoor wrote, "I'm truly pleased to see Rajaji honoured by a statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was the first Indian occupant as the only Indian Governor-General of India, before we became a Republic, and he yielded his seat to the new President. I have long admired his convictions and was a strong supporter of his Swatantra Party in my student days."
The Congress MP's endorsement drew a response from BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who welcomed Tharoor's remarks but criticised sections of the opposition for allegedly prioritising colonial-era figures over Indian icons.
On the other hand, UBT Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi was critical in her view of the replacement of the bust of architect Edward Lutyens, "The future generation of India would only know of Bimal Hasmukh Patel architectural legacy because am certain whatever is left of Lutyens design history will be broken down, redesigned or repurposed under the narrative of ridding ourselves of our colonial history."
C Rajaopalachari was born on December 10, 1878, in Madras Presidency. He was a lawyer and intellectual among many other things. He is regarded as an early political comrade of Mahatma Gandhi, who left his legal practice to join the Indian National Congress and later participated in various protests against the British Crown.
Most popularly, Rajagopalachari agitated against the Rowlatt Act, non-cooperation, and the Civil Disobedience movement. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Madras on a Congress ticket. He was part of the sub-committee on minorities and was conferred with the Bharat Ratna in 1954.
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