Colonial-era architect Edwin Lutyens’ statue to be replaced by C Rajagopalachari at Rashtrapati Bhavan | India News
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that a statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be replaced with a statue of C Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor-General of independent India.During his monthly radio program Man Ki Baat, Prime Minister Modi said, “A statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens also stood in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Now, this statue will be replaced by Rajaji’s (C Rajagopalachari) statue.”Prime Minister Modi said that even after independence, statues of British administrators remained at Rashtrapati Bhavan, while many Indian leaders were not enshrined there.He said the country was moving away from symbols of colonial rule and embracing symbols associated with Indian culture. The Prime Minister recalled that during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrita Mohotsav’, he spoke about the ‘Five-Pranas’ from the Red Fort and emphasized the need to move away from the colonial mindset.He also announced that ‘Rajaji Utsav’ will be held on February 23, when the statue of Rajagopalachari will be unveiled in the central courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan. An exhibition on Rajagopalachari will also be organized from February 24 to March 1 as part of the event.Edwin Lutyens, along with Herbert Baker, designed several major buildings in New Delhi, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block and India Gate. A part of the capital is also known as Lutyens’ Delhi in recognition of his work.
