John Oliver explains why India is unlikely to get the Koh-i-Noor diamond back

 By 
Sonam Joshi
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

This week, Last Week Tonight show host John Oliver used Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent UK visit to talk about India and Britain's colonial past, especially the contentious issue of the reparation of the 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Oliver quickly summarised why Britain was unlikely to return the Koh-i-Noor anytime soon -- because all the greatest British possessions (including tea and the Elgin marbles) are "stolen". "The entire British Museum is basically an active crime scene," he added.

Oliver also scoffed at the reasons given by former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for not returning the diamond: "I understand that you want the diamond, but the thing is that we have the diamond, you don't and we're going to keep having it forever. So in summary: finders keepers." Last week, several Indian businesspeople and celebrities had announced plans to sue the Queen to get the diamond back.

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