NEW DELHI: India's government was accused Wednesday of reversing its stance on the Koh-i-Noor diamond, after vowing to reclaim the priceless gem just days after the solicitor general said it was gifted to Britain.
The 108-carat Koh-i-Noor gem, which came into British hands during the colonial era, is the subject of a historic ownership dispute and has been claimed by at least four countries including India.
But India's Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar surprised many on Monday when he said the stone was not stolen, and instead 19th-century Sikh king Ranjit Singh had given it to the British.
The statement was surprising after decades of demanding the diamond be returned. For many Indians, the loss of the Koh-i-Noor is symbolic of India's subjugation under British colonial rule, and its return is viewed as partial compensation for centuries of economic exploitation.
It is now set in the crown that was worn by Queen Elizabeth's mother until her death in 2002, and is on public display in the Tower of London.
The government said Kumar had merely been explaining the history of the diamond to the Supreme Court as well as previous administrations' views on the gem being a gift.
In a statement released late Tuesday, the government said it would “make all possible efforts to bring back” the diamond “in an amicable manner”.
“The Government of India remains hopeful for an amicable outcome whereby India gets back a valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation's history,” it also said.
Kumar had been responding in court to a petition from a non-governmental organisation seeking the diamond's return.
The main opposition Congress party, which also supports the gem's return, accused the government of a flipflop after Kumar's comments sparked anger from various political groups.
“On #KohinoorDiamond, #ModiSarkar has not just done a flip-flop. It has done a full flop,” Congress party spokesman Sanjay Jha said on Twitter, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
A leader of the Hindu nationalist RSS, the ideological fountainhead of Modi's ruling party, this week declared the diamond “India's property”.
The stone was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 after the Anglo-Sikh wars in which Britain gained control of the Sikh empire of the Punjab, which is now split between Pakistan and India.
Singh in turn had taken it from an Afghan king who had sought sanctuary in India.
The diamond had been an heirloom of the Afghan monarchy and before then was in Persian royal hands, but its true origins remain a mystery.
Some accounts say the gem was discovered in the Golconda mines in what is now the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Its name translates as “Mountain of Light” and it is traditionally worn by a queen — it is said to bring bad luck to any man who wears it.
In 1976 Britain refused a request to cede the diamond, citing the terms of the Anglo-Sikh peace treaty.
India along with Pakistan and Afghanistan have long squabbled over who has the rightful claim to the diamond.
During a 2010 visit to India, British Prime Minister David Cameron told local media that the diamond would stay in Britain.
"If you say yes to one [request], you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty," Cameron said. "I'm afraid it's going to have to stay put."
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