New Delhi, 23 February (HS): President Droupadi Murmu on Monday unveiled the bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the first and only Indian Governor General of independent India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The bust has been installed at the grand open staircase near Ashok Mandap, replacing that of Edwin Lutyens, the principal architect of several prominent structures in New Delhi.

According to the President’s Secretariat, the initiative is part of a series of steps aimed at shedding vestiges of the colonial mindset and recognising India’s cultural heritage and contributions of national leaders.

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, and members of Rajagopalachari’s family were present at the ceremony.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar