Although the minister's proposal, which is to be shortly submitted to the Cabinet for approval, is aimed at ending the tussle, the move is expected to kick off a fresh round of controversy.

Certain sections, among them the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC), have opposed this proposal on the grounds that putting Gandhi's statue under a canopy built by the British would perpetuate the ``last vestige of imperialism'' and would be an insult to the Father of the Nation.

Speaking to Express Newsline, Jethmalani defended his proposal, saying there was nothing ``imperialistic'' about it. ``This seems to be the best possible option given the fact that the removal of the canopy has been stayed by the court and installing the statue elsewhere at India Gate has invited the objections of planners and architects''.

The minister said that a decision on the issue had been pending for the past three decades and, in the meantime, a bronze statue of Gandhi, sculpted at a cost of Rs 17 lakh for installation under the canopy, had been gathering dust.

Although Jethmalani's proposal is not new -- it was first proposed in 1966 soon after the decision to remove King George V's statue was taken -- it is expected to stir a hornets' nest among the sections which have strongly opposed this move on the plea that to remember Gandhi in this manner would only denigrate him.

The minister's proposal is, however, not in tune with those made by recent governments. The latest one, proposed by the Gujral government, envisaged the installation of the statue on an appropriate site (other than the canopy) within the `C-Hexagon' (now known as the August Kranti Udayan) between India Gate and National Stadium.

Earlier in 1995, a group of ministers constituted by the Narasimha Rao government to examine the issue concluded that it would not be proper to install Gandhi's statue beneath the canopy. It suggested that a better way out was to either remove the canopy altogether and install the statue there or find another appropriate place within the hexagon.

The impasse continued after the Conservation Society of India (CSI) and INTACH petitioned the Delhi High Court and obtained a stay against the dismantling or removal of the canopy and the installation of the statue elsewhere. DUAC had also objected to the government's proposal to install the statue elsewhere within the hexagon on the grounds that such a move would violate the aesthetics of the central vista.