Cameron Says No to the demand of the return of Koh-i-noor diamond

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 29: David Cameron has rejected a plea to return the fabled Koh-i-noor diamond - now the most famous of the Crown Jewels - to India.

There has been a growing clamour on the sub-continent for the repatriation of the gem, and in an interview on India’s NDTV channel the Prime Minister was asked directly if he would give it back.

After an awkward hesitation, Mr Cameron said ’that is a question I have never been asked before’ and then insisted it could not be returned.

The challenge came as the Prime Minister faced controversy after accusing Pakistan of ’exporting terror’ and offered to share nuclear secrets and sell military jets to India.

Mr Cameron is now on the final day of his whirlwind Indian trip, which has seen one of the largest UK delegations travel to the country since the sun set on the Raj in 1947.

The 105-carat diamond was seized by the East India Company after the capture of Punjab in 1849 and later presented as a gift to Queen Victoria.

At that time it was owned by the Sikh Maharajah of Lahore (now in Pakistan), but had earlier been a prize possession of the Mughal emperors.

Mr Cameron said returning the legendary diamond to India would set a dangerous precedent for other priceless cultural items held in British museums. 

Greece, for example, has mounted a long-running campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles, looted from the Parthenon some 200 years ago and brought back to London by the Earl of Elgin.

The 105-carat diamond was seized by the East India Company after the capture of Punjab in 1849 and later presented as a gift to Queen Victoria.

At that time it was owned by the Sikh Maharajah of Lahore (now in Pakistan), but had earlier been a prize possession of the Mughal emperors.

Mr Cameron said returning the legendary diamond to India would set a dangerous precedent for other priceless cultural items held in British museums. 

Greece, for example, has mounted a long-running campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles, looted from the Parthenon some 200 years ago and brought back to London by the Earl of Elgin.

 

There has also been a huge campaign in India on the social networking site Twitter for the stone’s return.

Since Indian independence, there have been several requests for the return of the gem to what all Indians consider its home in India.

 

 

The latest was the demand made by the Archaeological Survey of India last month. It is also planning to join a campaign with the support of other countries to regain lost artefacts and treasures.

The British Government has rejected all previous requests for the return of the diamond, saying it was ‘legitimately acquired’.

The Koh-i-noor diamond, once the largest in the world, was fought over for centuries and is surrounded by numerous legends.

Last year, Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, called for the Koh-i- noor to be handed back, saying: ‘Returning it would be atonement for the colonial past.’

Maurice Davies, head of policy and communication at the Museums Association, said: ‘It is certainly not a good idea to have a knee-jerk reaction to something like this.

‘As a grown-up civilised nation, Britain should think about it seriously and respectfully, especially attributing to how they came by the diamond in the first place.’

Labour’s Tom Watson, who sits on the Commons Culture Committee, said: ‘If you’re looking for the symbol of a new relationship with our great friends in India, what greater gesture could there be than returning the diamond?’

 

Cameron meets President, discusses trade, terror

New Delhi, July 29: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday met President Pratibha Patil and discussed a host of bilateral issues, including trade, counter-terrorism and cultural ties, on the final day of his maiden visit to India after assuming office.

 

British Prime Minister laying a wreath at the Gandhi Memorial at Rajghat in Delhi today on the last day his trip

 

 

The 43-year-old Cameron, the youngest British Prime Minister in almost 200 years, was accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rahstrapati Bahavan in the morning.

 

He kicked off his official engagements with a meeting with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna. They held talks on a spectrum of bilateral, regional and global issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, UN reforms, trade ties and civil nuclear cooperation.


Cameron, who began his 48-hour visit to India from Bangalore Tuesday night, has identified three key issues -- business, global security and climate issues -- that, he has stressed, will form the pillars of "a deeper and wider relationship" with India.


These issues will be discussed prominently when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh holds delegation-level talks with Cameron Thursday evening.


A cultural agreement is expected to be signed after the talks. This will be the first such pact with Britain and will entail "sharing of information, organizing events in each other’s countries, exchange of scholars and organizing seminars, exhibitions and performing events".


In Bangalore, Cameron unleashed a charm offensive and spoke glowingly about Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as among the cultural bonds India and Britain share.


Keeping strong Indian sensitivities on the issue of terror, he warned Pakistan that it should stop "exporting" terror to its neighbourhood.