Rashtrapati Bhavan to get Rajagopalachari’s statue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that a statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens in Rashtrapati Bhavan will be replaced by that of C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian governor-general of independent India. He said Rashtrapati Bhavan will celebrate Rajaji Utsav on February 23.

Mr. Modi said that during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, he had outlined the ‘Panch Pran’ (five pledges) which included freedom from a colonial mindset. He said even 78 years after Independence, statues of British administrators remained in Rashtrapati Bhavan, while those of Indian leaders were not honoured.

The Prime Minister said that the country is now shunning symbols of colonial rule and embracing Indian heroes and culture. “Rajagopalachari was among those who saw power not as a position but as a service. His conduct, self-restraint, and independent thinking in public life inspire us even today,” he said.