"a step towards "shedding the vestiges of colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India's culture". The move forms part of a long-standing desire on behalf of the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to remake India's long-standing secular political identity, which the BJP links with the legacy of British rule."
"Edwin Lutyens was one of the most prominent architects of the Edwardian era, devising a modern, restrained neo-classical style, seen in projects such as the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall. He also designed much of modern Delhi, including monuments like the India Gate and the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He travelled to India regularly between the 1920s and 1940s and incorporated Indian motifs into his work."
"the Rashtrapati Bhavan "a more ingenious and imaginative building than Buckingham Palace, the White House, the [Quai] D'Orsay, the Kremlin or the presidential palace in Beijing." He continued: "It carefully incorporates Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Muslim architectural theme""
A bust of British architect Edwin Lutyens, created in 1929, was removed from Rashtrapati Bhavan and replaced with a statue of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, India's last governor-general. President Droupadi Murmu characterized this as shedding colonial vestiges and celebrating Indian culture. The removal reflects the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's broader effort to reshape India's secular political identity away from British colonial associations. Lutyens, a prominent Edwardian architect, designed significant Delhi landmarks including India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan itself, incorporating Indian architectural motifs. His great-grandson, British journalist Matt Ridley, criticized the removal, arguing Rashtrapati Bhavan represents sophisticated architectural synthesis surpassing other world presidential residences.
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