A statue of British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens was replaced within the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday — amid continued efforts to purge colonial remnants from India. President Droupadi Murmu unveiled a bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in its stead as part of steps taken to “embrace the richness of Indian culture”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi added during his recent Mann Ki Baat address that that the country was ‘leaving behind the symbols of slavery’.
“A commendable effort, which reflects India’s resolve to honour those who shaped our destiny and to shed remnants of a colonial mindset. Rajaji was a towering scholar, freedom fighter, thinker and administrator. His life embodied integrity, intellect and unwavering commitment to the nation,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.
The bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari — the first and only Indian Governor General of the independent nation — has been placed at the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap. PM Modi had also announced the ‘Rajaji Utsav’ during his recent address to the nation and heralded an exhibition starting from February 24. He said on Sunday that statues of colonial rulers were allowed to remain in Rashtrapati Bhavan even after independence while announcing the replacement plan.
It has been framed as a “decolonisation” bid — part of efforts to “put the locks on” the Western mindset embedded within Indians since 1835. PM Modi had also invoked British historian Thomas Macaulay while delivering the the sixth Ramnath Goenka lecture in November — highlighting his extensive role in ‘warping’ the education system of India. The late historian and politician had led the ‘reformation’ of Indian education policy using Western denominators after reaching the country in 1834.
The word Lutyens has become synonymous with elitism in Delhi — often used disparagingly to denote upper-class status. The central part of the city (where government officials live) is often dubbed Lutyens’ Delhi after the architect who shaped the area. BJP leaders including the PM and Home Minister Amit Shah have often associated the Gandhi family with this concept of a privileged Lutyens’ class.
“I am surprised that the Lutyens Jamaat and the Khan Market Gang have been silent on this for so many years. The people who are the thekedaar of PIL, those who visit court every now and then, why weren’t they worried about liberty back then?” Modi had asked in March 2025 while questioning the continuation of colonial-era laws.
The selection of a Rajaji statue may also have political repercussions ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections. The former Home Minister of India was born in the state and also served as PM of Madras Presidency till 1940. His political career began within the Indian National Congress and he was one of the earliest political lieutenants of Mahatma Gandhi. But Rajagopalachari had turned increasingly against the INC and eventually left to found the Swatantra Party — repeatedly fighting elections against the Congress.
“In 1937, Rajaji, as Madras Presidency Premier, backed compulsory Hindi in the Madras Presidency, sparking a reaction. This was at the heart of the first anti-Hindi feeling in the state. Three decades later, in 1967, he turned so much anti-Congress that he campaigned for the DMK. In Brahmin-heavy localities like Triplicane and Mylapore, he asked Brahmins to hold their sacred thread in the left hand and use the right hand to vote for the DMK,” said former journalist and professor Kalyan Arun told Indian Express.