Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz today welcomed the Indian government's clarification over the Koh-i-Noor diamond that it intends to make all efforts to bring back the precious stone in an amicable manner.
"Previous statements and reporting on the Solicitor General of India's comments to the Supreme Court are puzzling. I welcome the clarification by the Indian government that it intends to make all efforts to bring back the Koh-i-Noor diamond in an amicable manner," Vaz said in a statement.
"I hope that the Indian Government will be in a position to convey its intentions to the Supreme Court soon," he added.
Last year, Vaz had called for the Koh-i-Noor to be returned to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015.
"There is no excuse for not returning precious items such as the Kohinoor diamond, a campaign I have backed for many years," Vaz had said last July.
Earlier this week, following the Solicitor General of India's remarks on the famous diamond being a gift to Queen Victoria, he had said: "This draws a line under this particular campaign. There may of course be other issues that need to be pursued. I am sure Her Majesty the Queen will be pleased as she celebrates her 90thBirthday.
