Krishna returns gifts, but keeps Hillary's

SM Krishna, who stepped down as external affairs minister on Friday, has kept a pair of cufflinks in sterling silver, a personal gift from US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, but returned a host of other gifts to the MEA storehouse.

SM Krishna, who stepped down as external affairs minister on Friday, has kept a pair of cufflinks in sterling silver, a personal gift from US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, but returned a host of other gifts to the MEA storehouse.

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The 80-year-old returned 45 gifts last week.

According to the records, over 200 presents were returned during the three years of his tenure, including 98 items and 125 book sets received from foreign dignitaries in the past two years.

They include carpets and a silver bowl from Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, respectively, a TV set and intricate ceramics from China.

His last major gift was silverware from the sultan of Brunei, his last port of call.

All these were deposited in the Toshakana, the official storehouse, which lists each gift, its value, the names of the giver and receiver, and the date on which it was transferred here.

The cufflinks were a return gift for a gold ornament Krishna gifted Clinton on behalf of his wife, government officials said.

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