The Prime Minister’s Museum and Library, formerly known as Nehru Memorial Museum and Library has formally written to Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi requesting the return of personal letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, which were taken by Soni Gandhi during UPA government in 2008.
The latest request to Rahul Gandhi follows a similar request to Sonia Gandhi in September. According to letter dated December 10 written to Lok Sabha LoP, PMML member Rizwan Kadri urged him to retrieve the letters in original form or provide digital copies/photo copies.
The letters, considered to be of immense historical significance, were initially entrusted to the by the in 1971. However, they were reportedly packed into 51 boxes and sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2008.
In 1971, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial entrusted the letters to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML). During the UPA regime, these letters were reportedly packed into 51 boxes and were sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2008.
Notably, the letters concerned here hold historical significance as they includes correspondence between Nehru and prominent personalities of that times such as Albert Einstein, Edwina Mountbatten, Padmaja Naidu, Jayaprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Govind Ballabh Pant, and others.
What did Kadri say?
Reacting to it Kardi said, “In September 2024, I wrote to Sonia Gandhi requesting that the 51 boxes that were withdrawn from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in 2008 be returned to the institution or we be allowed to see and scan them or a copy of them be provided to us so that we can study them. Many important letters were there including those of Jayaprakash Narayan, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Edwina Mountbatten and other important letters related to Indian history…Since there was no response from her side. I requested the leader of the opposition and her son Rahul Gandhi to help us get them back.”
BJP reacts
Reacting to the development, BJP MP Sambit Patra posted on X and took a swipe at Congress. He said, “What intrigues me is what would have Nehru ji written to EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN that needed censoring and will LOP Rahul help getting back the letters between Nehru and Edwina!”
