PM Memorial Urges Sonia Gandhi to Facilitate Return of Nehru’s Letters in Letter to Rahul Gandhi

Delhi, December 13, 2024 (Navroze Bureau) – The Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (PMML) has formally requested Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to return important letters written by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to his mother Sonia Gandhi. These letters were sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2008 during the UPA regime, when a collection of Nehru’s personal documents was handed over to her. PMML says that these letters belong to an important period of Indian history and scholars and researchers should have access to them to study them.

PMML member Rizwan Qadri sent a letter to Rahul Gandhi on December 10, in which he urged Sonia Gandhi to take back Nehru’s personal letters or provide their photocopies or digital copies to PMML. Qadri also said that PMML had also requested Sonia Gandhi to return the letters in September this year. PMML says that these letters not only reveal Nehru’s personal thoughts, but they also belong to an important period of Indian politics. PMML believes that this historical material can prove to be an invaluable asset for researchers. Qadri also wrote in the letter that “We understand that these documents may have personal importance to the ‘Nehru family’, but making these historical materials widely accessible will especially benefit scholars and researchers.”

Historical importance of Nehru’s letters
The collection of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru is considered an integral part of the history of Indian politics. These letters are very important from a historical point of view, as they contain Nehru’s thoughts, the political circumstances of his time, and his correspondence with prominent personalities. These letters were handed over to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial in 1971. But in 2008, these letters were reportedly packed in 51 boxes and sent to Sonia Gandhi. Apart from Nehru’s letters, the collection also contains correspondence with other prominent personalities such as Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Padmaja Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, Babu Jagjivan Ram and Govind Ballabh Pant. This correspondence presents a rich historical context, which is extremely important for understanding the Indian political perspective of that time.

PMML’s urge
PMML says that this correspondence can be studied by bringing it back to the archives of the institute. PMML has also said that studying these documents will be helpful not only for students of Indian history, but also for sociologists and political experts. Qadri said that “the historical importance of this collection is immense and it should be made available to as many people as possible.”

BJP’s sarcasm
After PMML requested Sonia Gandhi to return these letters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted the Gandhi family. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted on Twitter, asking, “What would Nehru ji have written to Edwina Mountbatten that these letters have been censored? Will Rahul Gandhi take any steps to return these letters?” Malviya also quipped that why the Gandhi family has kept these historical letters with them when they should be studied and used by scholars. BJP leaders have questioned the move of the Gandhi family and termed it a case of “censorship”. BJP leaders also say that these documents are very valuable for the citizens and historians of India and keeping them only with the Gandhi family cannot benefit Indian society.

Congress’s silent stand
Although the Congress party has not yet made any official statement on the issue, the issue has now heated up in political circles. It remains to be seen what action Rahul Gandhi takes in this matter and whether Sonia Gandhi will return these historical letters to PMML. The Prime Minister’s Museum and Library has requested Sonia Gandhi to return Nehru’s personal letters. These letters highlight important aspects of Indian history and may be important for researchers. The BJP has questioned the Gandhi family in this matter, while the Congress has not yet responded.