NEW DELHI, FEB 23 : President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday unveiled a bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari at Rashtrapati Bhavan, replacing the statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens, a move the government framed as part of its broader push to shed colonial-era symbols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bust of Rajagopalachari, India\u2019s first and only Indian Governor-General, has been installed at the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap, opposite the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. The change reflects an effort to foreground Indian figures and traditions within the presidential estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unveiling took place during the \u2018Rajaji Utsav\u2019 event at Rashtrapati Bhavan, attended by Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan and several Union ministers. In her remarks, President Murmu highlighted Rajagopalachari\u2019s role in what she described as India\u2019s \u201cmental decolonisation\u201d, recalling that he had placed portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mahatma Gandhi in his room when he moved into the Government House after Independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also pointed to other recent changes at the presidential estate, including replacing portraits of British officials with those of Param Vir Chakra awardees and opening Rashtrapati Bhavan\u2019s spaces to the public. The President said Rajagopalachari\u2019s life \u2014 spanning law, politics, social reform and literature \u2014 continues to inspire the country\u2019s journey towards a \u201cViksit Bharat\u201d by 2047.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vice-President Radhakrishnan called the installation another milestone in India\u2019s effort to move away from colonial influence, describing it as part of a wider transformation across governance, law and culture. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s call for freedom from the \u201ccolonial mindset\u201d as a guiding vision behind such steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a message read out at the event, the Prime Minister said placing Rajagopalachari\u2019s bust where Lutyens\u2019 once stood was \u201can important act of mental decolonisation\u201d, adding that Rashtrapati Bhavan today represents democratic self-confidence rooted in Indian civilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the change drew a note of regret from British science writer Matt Ridley, Lutyens\u2019 great-grandson. Posting on X, Ridley said he was \u201csad\u201d to learn that the bust of his great-grandfather had been removed from the presidential palace the architect designed in New Delhi. He added that he had noticed last year that Lutyens\u2019 name had already been removed from the plinth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government has said an exhibition on Rajagopalachari\u2019s life and work will be held at Amrit Udyan from February 24 to March 1 as part of the ongoing Rajaji Utsav.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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