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The Prime Minister announced that the statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens at Rashtrapati Bhavan will be replaced by that of C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji).

• Edwin Lutyens designed Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Rajaji was the first Indian occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan as Head of State (Governor-General of India).

C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji)

Basic Facts

• Full Name: Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
• Born: 10 December 1878, Salem (Madras Province, now Tamil Nadu)
• Popularly known as: Rajaji
• First and last Indian Governor-General of India (1948–1950)

Role in Freedom Movement

• Inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• Active member of the Indian National Congress.
• Hosted Mahatma Gandhi during the Anti-Rowlatt agitation.
• Led the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930), mirroring the Dandi March in South India.

Political & Administrative Roles

• Prime Minister of Madras Province (1937).
  • Promoted Khadi.
  • Advocated abolition of Zamindari.
• Governor of West Bengal (Post-Independence).
• Union Home Minister (after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel).
• Contributed to the drafting of the First Five-Year Plan.
• Piloted the Preventive Detention Act, 1950.

C.R. Formula (1944)

• Proposed in pamphlet “The Way Out”.
• Attempted to resolve constitutional deadlock between INC and Muslim League regarding Pakistan demand.

Founder of Swatantra Party

• Established Swatantra Party (1959).
• Advocated market economy and opposed excessive state control.
• As Chief Minister of Madras State, decontrolled foodgrain distribution and prices.

Literary Contributions

• Founded an ashram in 1925 for social reform.
• Published:
  • Vimochanam (Tamil)
  • Prohibition (English)
• Won Sahitya Akademi Award (1958) for Tamil retelling of Ramayana (Chakravarthi Thirumagan).

Awards

• One of the first three recipients of the Bharat Ratna (1954), along with:
  • Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
  • C. V. Raman

Edwin Lutyens

About

• British architect and town planner.
• Key designer of New Delhi during British rule.
• Collaborated with Sir Herbert Baker.

Major Architectural Contributions

• Rashtrapati Bhavan
• North Block
• South Block
• India Gate

A central administrative zone of New Delhi is popularly called “Lutyens’ Delhi.”