The set of personal items, including Mahatma Gandhi’s trademark metal-rimmed glasses, his sandals, a pocket watch and the two utensils in which he ate one of his last meals, will return to India, courtesy liquor baron Vijay Mallya who bought them for $1.8 million, after bidding over the phone, from American collector James Otis.
The memorabilia will be flown to India for public display. Though Vijay Mallya, owner of United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines, said no one from the Indian Government had contacted him to go for the bid, the Congress was too keen to take the credit.
“The Congress-led UPA Government does not talk — it acts,” Congress spokesperson Abhishekh Singhvi declared. He said getting back the Mahatma’s belongings was a Herculean task but India finally achieved it.
Singhvi felt that there was nothing wrong if Mallya bid for the Mahatma’s belongings. Since the Government was not allowed to bid, it appreciated Vijay Mallya’s decision to come forward to bid for it on his own. “We appreciate that he has contributed in getting Gandhiji’s belongings back. One should not criticise his efforts,” he remarked.
