Colonial-era architect Edwin Lutyens’ statue to be replaced by C Rajagopalachari at Rashtrapati Bhavan

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that a statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens at Rashtrapati Bhavan will be replaced with a statue of C Rajagopalachari, the first Indian governor-general of independent India.Speaking during his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said, "A statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens also stood in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Now, this statue will be replaced by a statue of Rajaji (C Rajagopalachari)."PM Modi said that even after independence, statues of British administrators remained at Rashtrapati Bhavan, while many Indian leaders were not given a place there.He said the country was moving away from symbols of colonial rule and was embracing symbols linked to Indian culture. The Prime Minister recalled that during the ‘Azadi ka amrit mahotsav’, he had spoken about the ‘Panch-pran’ from the Red Fort and stressed the need to move away from a colonial mindset.He further 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 organised 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.