The Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) has urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to return personal papers belonging to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The request follows a similar appeal to Sonia Gandhi in September regarding the same documents, which were reportedly withdrawn from the museum in 2008.
Rizwan Kadri, a historian and member of the PMML society, confirmed that he wrote to Rahul Gandhi, asking for the return of approximately 51 cartons of records, including letters written by Nehru to Edwina Mountbatten, wife of Lord Mountbatten. Kadri stated that these papers are vital for preserving a comprehensive understanding of India’s history.
“The collection withdrawn in 2008 on the behest of Sonia Gandhi included Jayaprakash Narayan’s, Babu Jagjivan Ram’s, and Edwina Mountbatten’s correspondence, among others,” Kadri told CNN-News18.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized on the issue, questioning the Congress’s motives. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and IT cell chief Amit Malviya raised suspicions about why the letters might have been removed and speculated on their contents. “What intrigues me is what Nehru ji might have written to Edwina Mountbatten that needed censoring,” Patra posted on X.
Congress, however, dismissed the BJP’s claims and hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused Modi of defaming Nehru to divert attention from his government’s failures.
“PM Modi’s obsession with Nehru reveals his inability to address current challenges,” Ramesh said, referencing the Prime Minister’s recent criticisms of the Congress during the Constitution Day debate in Parliament.
The PMML, previously known as the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, was rebranded under the Modi government to include contributions of all Indian Prime Ministers. This move, among others, has been criticized by the Congress as an attempt to dilute Nehru’s legacy.
As the debate escalates, the focus remains on whether the Congress will act on the PMML’s requests and what implications the missing letters could have for India’s historical archives.
