London, Jan. 19: Challenged about the wealth he amassed in British India, Robert Clive was said to have declared: "I stand astonished at my own moderation."

Over two centuries later, Britain has almost echoed him by saying something many Indians may find a trifle cheeky. A committee in London has insisted that two unique pieces of treasure Clive added to his collection (for want of a politer expression) after the 1757 Battle of Plassey should be kept in the UK because of their "close connection with our history and national life".

Technically, India has a chance of getting back the two pieces if it takes part in an auction and outbids others. But getting them out of the country is not going to be easy since the UK's culture ministry yesterday imposed a "temporary export bar" on the items to give someone local a chance to buy them and keep British heritage in Britain.

One of the pieces is an "incredibly rare" Mughal ruby-and-emerald wine flask, valued at £6,000,000 plus value added tax @ 20 per cent, coming to £7.2 million (Rs 60.5 crore).

The other is a sapphire and ruby huqqa (hookah) set, costing £240,000, plus VAT at £48,000, setting the buyer back £288,000 (Rs 2.4 crore).

Potential buyers for the flask have until May 17 to place a bid with the ministry although this could be extended to November 17 if there was "a serious intention to raise funds". The cut-off date for the huqqa set is April 17, although this, too, could be pushed back to July 17. The set comes in four parts - a globular base, a tobacco bowl and its cover and a mouthpiece.

Of course, some like Shashi Tharoor might argue that the least Britain could do would be to hand the treasures back to Bengal free of charge. In his now famous Oxford Union speech in July 2015 and subsequently in his book, An Era of Darkness, he has argued that India was impoverished by 200 years of British rule - and Britain needs to atone for past sins.

Matt Hancock, Britain's minister of state for digital policy in the department for culture, takes a somewhat different view.

"These treasures are not only exquisite, they provide us with a glimpse into the fascinating lifestyle and traditions of the Mughal court and the British presence in India at the time," he said yesterday while announcing the ban. "I hope that we are able to keep these unique artefacts in the country to learn more about this extraordinary history," he added.

The ministry said "the decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the reviewing committee on the export of works of art and objects of cultural interest, administered by the Arts Council".

Sir Hayden Phillips, the committee chairman, emphasised: "Apart from the intrinsic quality of these objects, and their outstanding importance for scholarship, the reviewing committee was unanimous in its recognition of their emblematic significance for our history and national life. Robert Clive was an outstanding and, indeed, controversial figure, but absolutely central to the creation of British rule in India. His statue, gazing out towards St James's Park, stands guard at Clive Steps as they lead to the Foreign Office and The Treasury; a tellingly symbolic location for what he contributed to our history."

The culture ministry provides a bit of historical background by pointing out that "it is believed that Robert Clive, also known as Clive of India, was presented with the flask as a gift following the Battle of Plassey. Clive was governor and commander-in-chief of India and became famous for his victory over the Nawab of Bengal during the battle in 1757. The flask itself is incredibly rare and there is no other object like it anywhere in the world, let alone in Britain. It has a silver interior and a gold exterior decorated in jade, emeralds and rubies."

"Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, KB, FRS, also known as Clive of India, Commander-in-Chief of British India," left his treasures to his son. The flask and the huqqa have been the property of his descendents until they were auctioned at Christie's in 2004 when they were bought by the late Qatari Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed bin Ali al-Thani. The flask had been on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1963 onwards.

Even British historians acknowledge Clive was rapacious in India and amassed a vast fortune very quickly.

Almost alone among Indians, Nirad C. Chaudhuri was generous to the founder of British rule in his 1975 biography, Clive of India. He argued that "when Clive first arrived, India was dominated by the Mughals, by the destructiveness of the Marathas and Afghans, and by the greed of the high-caste Hindus" and that "Clive alleviated these evils".