President Murmu Unveils Rajagopalachari Bust, Replacing Colonial-Era Lutyens

In a post on X, the Rashtrapati Bhavan handle stated that the bust of Rajagopalachari has replaced the bust of Edwin Lutyens at the GraRajagopalachari, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. nd Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap.

According to the post, this initiative is part of a series of steps being taken to shed the vestiges of a colonial mindset and honour the individuals who served India with their extraordinary contributions.

"President Droupadi Murmu unveiled bust of Shri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Ji, the first and only Indian Governor General of independent India at Rashtrapati Bhavan," said President of India handle.

"The bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, situated at the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap, replaces the bust of Edwin Lutyens. This initiative is part of series of steps being taken towards shedding the vestiges colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India's culture, heritage, timeless traditions and honouring those who served Bharat Mata with their extraordinary contributions," the post read.

Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan, Union Minister JP Nadda, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan also attended this event.

BJP leader CR Kesavan, the great-grandson of Rajagopalachari, thanked President Droupadi Murmu for unveiling the bust of first and the last Governor-General of independent India. Kesavan stated that India has become proud of its civilizational values and alleged that previous Congress regimes deliberately sidelined the glorious sacrifices and selfless contributions of great leaders who fought for the freedom movement.

Kesavan further emphasised that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who revived the glorious legacies of these freedom fighters and granted them their due honour.

"We would like to thank our President Droupadi Murmu ji for unveiling the bust of Rajaji in Rashtrapati Bhavan and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji for his wonderful message, which was a very poignant message by Prime Minister Modi Ji, which was read out in the Rajaji Utsav celebrations today...India has become so proud rooted in our civilizational values and one thing which I would very pertinently point out today is after independence for decades erstwhile Congress regimes deliberately sidelined the glorious sacrifice and the selfless contribution of great leaders who had sacrificed for a freedom movement. It has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji who has rightfully revived their glorious legacies and honoured them..." said Kesavan.

Meanwhile, President Murmu attended the 'Rajaji Utsav' held today at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a post on X, the President praised Rajagopalachari for setting an inspiring example of mental decolonisation, noting that he placed portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mahatma Gandhi in his room at the erstwhile Government House

She stated that this act of Rajaji sent a clear message that while India was formally still a Dominion, the value of full independence had been fully established in the hearts of Indians. The post further mentioned that as part of the celebrations, an exhibition on the life and work of Rajaji will be organised from February 24 to March 1 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"President Droupadi Murmu graced the 'Rajaji Utsav' at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said that when Rajaji arrived at the Government House (now known as Rashtrapati Bhavan), he placed portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mahatma Gandhi in his room," said President of India handle.

"Rajaji sent a clear message that while India was formally still a Dominion, Swaraj had been fully established in the hearts of Indians. Thus, Rajaji set an inspiring example of mental decolonisation. His ideals are reflected in the national campaign adopted by the people of India to take pride in India's heritage and eliminate the vestiges of colonial mindset. As part of Rajaji Utsav, an exhibition on the life and work of Rajaji is being organised from February 24 to March 1, 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan," added President of India handle.

- ANI