Political messaging behind timing of installation of Rajaji’s bust? | India News
New Delhi: The timing of the bust of Edward Lutyens’ successor C Rajagopalachari at the Rashtrapati Bhavan has assumed significance as the southern state goes to polls in the next few months where the BJP has struggled to make major inroads. Among the invitees at Monday’s event were “guests from Tamil Nadu”.Replacing Lutyens’ bust with Rajaji’s served a dual purpose — it reinforced the government’s anti-colonial narrative at the national level and, in Tamil Nadu, it signaled the honoring of a Tamil statesman by placing his bust in the head of state’s residence.In his address on the occasion, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Rajaji was a symbol of Indian civilization and the embodiment of the vision of the sacred ‘Sengol’, which has been installed in Parliament. Rajaji was instrumental in the origin of the ‘Sengol’ scepter as a symbol of the transfer of power from the British to Indian hands in 1947. Drawing from the tradition of the Chola dynasty, he suggested this golden scepter, made by Bhummidi Bangaru Chetti, for fair rule and the transfer of power to Jawaharlal Nehru.Sengol was installed in the Lok Sabha in the new parliament when it was inaugurated in 2023 and was seen as a promotion of Tamil identity. The government also organized the Kashi Tamil Sangam in Varanasi, which connected the temple town of Uttar Pradesh to highlight cultural ties with Tamil scholars and people.
