New Delhi, February 23 President Droupadi Murmu unveiled the statue of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the first and only Indian Governor-General of independent India, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Monday.
The initiative is part of a series of steps being taken towards shedding colonial influences, the President's secretariat said.
The statue of Rajagopalachari, located on the grand staircase near Ashok Mandap in Rashtrapati Bhavan, replaces that of Edwin Lutyens, the main architect of several structures in New Delhi.
"This initiative is part of a series of steps being taken towards shedding colonial influences and embracing, with pride, the richness of India's culture, heritage, timeless traditions, and honoring those who served Bharat Mata with their extraordinary contributions," the President's Secretariat said on X.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, and family members of Rajagopalachari.