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British Indian MP Keith Vaz, on Tuesday the 28th July 2015 has called for the world-famous 'Koh-I-Noor' diamond to be returned to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit in November. Vaz's comments were made in response to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's recent speech at the Oxford Union calling for the Britain to pay reparations to India for its 200 years of brutal colonial rule.

"I welcome Dr Tharoor's speech and the endorsement of its message by Prime Minister Modi. I share their views. These are genuine grievances which must be addressed. Pursuing monetary reparations is complex, time consuming and potentially fruitless, but there is no excuse for not returning precious items such as the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a campaign I have backed for many years," said Vaz, the longest serving British MP of Asian descent.

"What a wonderful moment it would be, if and when Prime Minister Modi ends his visit, which is much overdue, he returns to India with the promise of the diamond's return," Vaz said.

The Koh-I-Noor or Mountain of Light is a diamond that was mined at Kollur Mine, in the present state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It was originally 793 carats when uncut and is the largest known diamond. It is now a 105.6 metric carat diamond, weighing 21.6 grammes in its most recent cut state. In 1852, Albert the Prince Consort ordered it to be cut down from 186 carats. The diamond was originally owned by the Kakatiya dynasty, which had installed it in a temple of a Hindu goddess as her eye. The diamond was later confiscated from its original owners by various invaders. Today the diamond is a part of the Crown of Queen Elizabeth.

By Premji