New Delhi, Feb 24, 2026
Congress leader Udit Raj on Tuesday questioned the selective approach towards historical recognition, following party MP Shashi Tharoor’s welcome of the installation of C. Rajagopalachari’s statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Speaking to IANS, Udit Raj said, “I say that Edwin Lutyens designed Connaught Place, Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block. If his statue is removed, then Rajagopalachari’s statue could also be removed. The parliamentary system, the state governments, schools, universities, and colleges — all of these are gifts of the British. So, by that logic, remove everything.”
He further stressed the importance of preserving history, calling it a chronological record of past events that should not be tampered with.
“If they feel so strongly about old heritage, then first, all RSS and BJP leaders in power should stop sending their children to English-medium schools. They should revive the Gurukul system, teach through Sanskrit, and impart traditional knowledge. Yet, what is happening? Their children are being sent to Harvard, MIT, and Oxford,” he said.
Udit Raj also criticised the Centre, highlighting the contributions of Indian reformers, adding, “Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule opened the first school for girls in Pune, yet these people opposed it. What have they actually done themselves? This is a double standard.”
The comments came after Shashi Tharoor took to X to express his admiration for Rajaji. “I’m truly pleased to see Rajaji honoured by a statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was its first Indian occupant as the only Indian Governor-General of India before we became a Republic,” Tharoor wrote.
“I have long admired his convictions and was a strong supporter of his Swatantra Party in my student days. His values – liberal economics with social justice, faith in Indian civilization without communal bigotry, and staunch protection of constitutional rights – remain mine to this day. It is sad that so few follow him today.”
Udit Raj’s remarks underline the ongoing debate in the country over historical legacies, their interpretation, and the balance between preserving tradition and embracing modernity.(Agency)
FOLLOW NOW
