Lutyens' great-grandson 'sad' over bust removal from Rashtrapati Bhavan

Edwin Lutyens' great-grandson, Matt Ridley, expressed sadness after his great-grandfather's bust was removed from Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was replaced by a bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari as part of India's move to shed colonial symbols.

Matt Ridley, great-grandson of Edwin Lutyens, expressed his sadness on Monday over the removal of Lutyens' bust from Rashtrapati Bhavan, which was replaced by a bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. Riddley, who is the great-grandson of Edwin Lutyens, the architect of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, said in a post on X, "Sad to read that the bust of Lutyens (my great-grandfather) is to be removed from the presidential palace he designed in Delhi. Here I am with it last year. I wondered at the time why his name had been removed from the plinth." Sad to read that the bust of Lutyens (my great grandfather) is to be removed from the presidential palace he designed in Delhi. Here I am with it last year. I wondered at the time why his name had been removed from the plinth. pic.twitter.com/EITcGKUAMa — Matt Ridley (@mattwridley) February 23, 2026

President Murmu Unveils Rajagopalachari's Bust

His remarks come as President Droupadi Murmu on Monday unveiled a bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the first and only Indian Governor General of independent India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The bust of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, situated at the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap, replaces the bust of Edwin Lutyens.

The President's official handle on X posted, "This initiative is part of a series of steps being taken towards shedding the vestiges of the 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."

Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilisers Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan and family members of Rajaji.

Move to Shed 'Symbols of Slavery'

This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that the "Rajaji Festival" will be celebrated in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday with the unveiling of the statue of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor-General of independent India.

During the 131st 'Mann Ki Baat' episode, PM Modi said that the nation is leaving the symbols of slavery behind and beginning to relate to the Indian culture. "During the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, I spoke of the 'Panch-Pran' from the Red Fort. One of them is freedom from the mentality of slavery. Today, the country is leaving behind the symbols of slavery and has begun to value symbols related to Indian culture," he said.

About C Rajagopalachari

C Rajaopalachari was born on December 10, 1878, in Madras Presidency. He was a lawyer and intellectual among many other things.

He is regarded as an early political comrade of Mahatma Gandhi, who left his legal practice to join the Indian National Congress and later participated in various protests against the British Crown.

Most popularly, Rajagopalachari agitated against the Rowlatt Act, non-cooperation, and the Civil Disobedience movement. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Madras on a Congress ticket. He was part of the sub-committee on minorities and was conferred with the Bharat Ratna in 1954. (ANI)

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