India rejects deal to halt sale of Gandhi items

India's government yesterday rejected a proposal by the owner of Mohandas Gandhi's eyeglasses and other personal items to halt their upcoming auction in exchange for commitments to fight poverty and promote nonviolence.

India's Junior Foreign Minister Anand Sharma said the demands, which included reallocating part of the national budget, infringed on India's sovereignty.

The planned auction of items, which belong to collector and peace activist James Otis, has raised an outcry in India, prompting the government to attempt to bring the pacifist icon's belongings back to his homeland.