Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], December 18 : Following the Ministry of Culture's clarification that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's private papers can't be termed as "missing" from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) as their "whereabouts are known", which was with former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rizwan Kadri, historian and author, and one of the members of the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society expressed hope that Sonia Gandhi would return back the collection.
He said that he was appointed at the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society in 2019.
He said that all members tried to work in a direction where researchers would not face any struggle, and everything would be available with ease. All closed collections were opened.
Speaking to ANI, Rizwan Kadri said, "I wanted to study Edwina Mountbatten's papers. The original collection was donated to the institution by her daughter, but I could not see it. This issue was discussed during our annual general meeting. Sonia Gandhi had taken these papers into her custody. After the 2024 meeting, for the first time in the minutes, the organisation acknowledged that Sonia Gandhi was the chairperson of this institution in 2008. The collections were segregated. She took a total of 9 collections."
He said that if any amendments are to be made regarding Mahatma Gandhi, then Sardar Patel and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's private papers would also need to be accessed.
He said that this institution is an autonomous body of the Indian government. He said that former PM Indira Gandhi's mother, Kamala Nehru's collection was also given, but it was not available.
"I wrote a request letter to Sonia ji asking for permission to read these collections in her custody, to scan them, to have her provide us with copies, or to return the collections or their copies to the institution," he said.
He further said that all the heritage belonged to the Indian government's autonomous body.
"After receiving no response from her in December 2024, I requested LoP Rahul Gandhi to help me with my research. Then, in January 2025, our executive council requested Sonia ji, but there was no response from her. Yesterday, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat brought this matter into the public domain. After EC wrote letter, Sonia Gandhi has now said that she will cooperate in this matter. I hope she returns back the collection to the autonomous body," he further added.
The clarifications follow Congress' pushback against the Centre after Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's written reply to BJP MP Sambit Patra's question about whether Nehru's letters are missing from PMML.
Gajendra Singh Shekhwat replied that "no document related to the first PM for the country is missing from PMML". This invited Congress to mount an attack on the centre, demanding an apology from the BJP government for alleging that Sonia Gandhi possesses Nehru's private letters and asking her to return them.
Ministry of Culture, in a post on X today, clarified that the papers can't be termed as "missing" as their whereabouts are known and sought for their return, saying that they are "part of the nation's documentary heritage"
"Vide letter dated April 29, 2008 M V Rajan, representative of Smt. Sonia Gandhi requested that Smt. Gandhi wishes to take back all of the private family letters and notes of former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru. Accordingly, 51 cartons of Nehru Papers were sent to Smt. Sonia Gandhi in 2008. PMML has been in continuous correspondence with the office of Smt Sonia Gandhi since then for the return of these papers, including the letters from PMML to Smt Sonia Gandhi dated January 28, 2025 and July 3, 2025," the Ministry of Culture said.
Therefore, the Nehru Papers are not "missing" from PMML as their whereabouts are known. These documents, relating to the first Prime Minister of India, form part of the nation's documentary heritage and not a private property. Their custody with PMML and access to citizens and scholars for reserch is vital," the Ministry added.