Rajaji Utsav Set To Be Celebrated Today At Rashtrapati Bhavan In New Delhi; What You Should Know About The Day

New Delhi: Rajaji Utsav will be celebrated at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, February 23, 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the event during the 131st episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, February 22, 2026. PM Modi said that a statue of the first Indian Governor-General of independent India, C. Rajagopalachari, will replace the statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

PM Modi spoke about Rajaji Utsav in his Mann Ki Baat programme

In his Mann Ki Baat speech, the Prime Minister Modi said, "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. Our Rashtrapati Bhavan has also taken an important step in this direction,” PM Modi said.

He further said, "On February 24, the statue of Raja C. Gopalachari will be unveiled in the central courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan." Talking about Raja C. Gopalachari, the PM said, "He was among those who saw power not as a position but as a service. His conduct, self-restraint, and independent thinking in public life inspire us even today.”

Rajaji Utsav: Symbol of colonial-era replacement

The statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens will be removed, which stood in Rashtrapati Bhavan even after India gained Independence. Now, it will be replaced by a statue of C. Rajagopalachari. The Utsav will be held from February 24 to March 1 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where an exhibition dedicated to Rajagopalachari’s life and contributions will be organised.

Interesting facts about C. Rajagopalachari

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, known as C. Rajagopalachari, was a lawyer and intellectual, among other things.

He was seen as an early political ally of Mahatma Gandhi, who abandoned his legal career to join the Indian National Congress and later took part in various protests against the British Crown.

He was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Madras on a Congress ticket and served on the sub-committee on minorities.

In 1939, Rajagopalachari enacted the Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act, which permitted Dalits and Shanars to access temples.