New Delhi: May 03: Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention today, BJD MP from Odisha Bhupinder Singh demanded that the diamond must be brought back and restored to whom the Maharaja had willed it to be given.
He said, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had willed that Kohinoor diamond to be given to Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri as Guru Nanak Dev had visited Puri and mentioned about the diety in the holy book of Guru Granth Saheb.
The Centre had recently told the Supreme Court that the heirs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the 105-carat Kohinoor to the British as “voluntary compensation” to cover the expenses of the Anglo-Sikh Wars. The diamond is on display at the Tower of London.
The BJD leader said it was incorrect to say that the heirs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh had converted to Christianity and offered the diamond to British.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said every member “will be happy is Kohinoor is brought back.”
