A bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, located in the Grand Open Staircase near the Ashok Mandap in Rashtrapati Bhavan, replaces a bust of Edwin Lutyens.
President Draupadi Murmu on Monday unveiled a bust of Indian independence hero Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, replacing the statue of architect Edwin Lutyens, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Murmu hailed it as an initiative towards “getting rid of the colonial mentality.”
The newly unveiled bust of C Rajagopalachari has been placed near the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap.
Following the event, the President’s official handle posted, “This initiative is part of a series of steps being taken to do away with the remnants of colonial mentality and embrace the richness of India’s culture, heritage and timeless traditions, with pride, and honor those who have served Bharat Mata with their extraordinary contributions.”
Rajagopalachari was the first and last Indian Governor-General of independent India.
Several dignitaries, including Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan, Union Ministers JP Nadda, S Jaishankar, Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rajaji family members were also present on the occasion.
A day ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the unveiling and celebrations of the ‘Rajaji Festival’. During his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, Prime Minister Modi said the nation is leaving the symbols of slavery behind and starting to connect with Indian culture.
PM Modi calls it a ‘commendable effort’
Prime Minister Modi also reacted to the event, calling it a “laudable effort” to do away with the “colonial mentality”.
“Rajaji was an eminent scholar, freedom fighter, thinker and administrator,” the Prime Minister wrote in a post on X.
Rajagopalachari, born December 1878, was a lawyer and intellectual among many other things. He is reported to have been an early political companion of Mahatma Gandhi, who left his law practice to join the Indian National Congress and later participated in various protests against the British Crown.
Most famously, Rajagopalachari revolted against the Rowlatt Act, Non-Cooperation, and 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 the post of Bharat Ratna in 1954.
Also read: Lutyens statue removed: Why New Delhi’s architect was included in PM Modi’s colonial cleansing list
Who was Edwin Lutyens?
Edwin Lutyens was a British architect who, in collaboration with Sir Herbert Baker, designed several monumental buildings in New Delhi. He developed a hybrid Indo-European style, fusing Western neoclassicism with Mughal, Buddhist and Hindu motifs.
Among his architectural contributions are the Viceroy’s House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan), the India Gate, the North and South Quadrant, the circular Connaught Square, and the broad ceremonial axis then called the Kings Road.
In recognition of his contribution, a part of New Delhi is also known as ‘Luty’s Delhi’.
