By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Parties cutting across the political spectrum on Friday asked the government to bring back Mahatma Gandhi’s personal belongings, which would be going under the hammer in the US next month, saying they “such precious relics are part of our history and heritage”.
Reacting to the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s wire-rimmed spectacles, leather sandals and a Zenith pocket watch which would be auctioned in New York next month, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the government “should try and retrieve such precious relics which are part of our history and heritage”.
He said the Culture Ministry and the department concerned should try and get these valuable relics back.
Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha (Lower House) MP Mohan Singh urged the government to save such precious belongings from going under the hammer.
“Our love for Mahatma Gandhi is such that I urge the government to prevent the auction of such precious belongings, which are so closely associated with his personality. However, if there are no buyers for them, then the government should buy these relics and bring them back here so that they can be put up in a museum,” Singh said.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said “it is true that as far as possible, the Indian heritage must be kept in Indian boundaries. But it may not be always possible because many items have remained in private possession”.