New Delhi: The Government acquired five personal possessions of Mahatma Gandhi at an auction in New York through the “services” of business tycoon Vijay Mallya, Culture Minister Ambika Soni said on Friday.
Soni claimed the government could not have bid for Gandhi’s possessions because of a court stay order in India. Instead, the items were "procured through the services of an Indian, Vijay Mallya".
Mallya’s representative was “in touch with us (the Indian government)” through the Indian consulate in New York. Soni claimed the items were acquired in “close cooperation” between her department and the External Affairs Ministry.
"The reason why the Indian Government could not take part in the auction was a restraining order of the Delhi High Court," she said. The government was in talks with "private persons" and was able to procure the Mahatma's belongings "through the services of Vijay Mallya, who was in touch with us, and whose representative was in touch with our mission in the US".
Mallya, owner of Kingfisher beer and airlines, bought the Mahatma's personal possessions, including his trademark round-rimmed spectacles, for $1.8 million (Rs 9 crore) at the auction.
Mallya won the bid after a day of high drama as New York's Antiquorum Auctioneers went ahead with the auction on Thursday despite protests in India and an injunction from Delhi High Court seeking to halt the sale and the collector James Otis himself trying to pull out at the last minute.
This is not the first time Vijay Mallya has bought a heritage item from overseas. In 2004, he had bought Tipu Sultan's sword from a London auction house. In fact Mallya had campaigned for the 2004 General Elections with the sword in hand. and this time - rather ironically - the liqour baron has bought the personal effects of a man believed to have favoured prohibition.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS. )
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