MEA requests Maha govt for consent to take control of Ambedkar house in London

The Centre has requested the Maharashtra government for its consent to hand over the control of Dr B R Ambedkar's house in London to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), an official said on Thursday.

The file has been submitted for approval, the official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) told PTI.

The 3.1 million pound three-storey house located on King Henry's Road in north London was purchased by the state government in 2015 to turn it into a museum. In 2020, the house was converted into a museum and thrown open to public.

Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, lived in the house in 1921-22.

The CMO official said, ''The MEA has requested the state government to give consent to hand over control of Dr Ambedkar's home in London to it.'' The 2,050 square feet residential property in London went up for sale through an estate agent in 2014.

The Federation of Ambedkarites and Buddhist Organisation (FABO) UK had written to the Indian government to urge them to purchase it as a historically important monument.

The decision for Maharashtra to purchase the house was later cleared by the Narendra Modi-led government.

Ambedkar, who died in 1956 at the age of 65, was posthumously conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1990.