‘May be of personal significance but…’: PMML asks Rahul, Sonia Gandhi to return Nehru’s letters
The letters were entrusted to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial in 1971.
- Dec 16, 2024,
- Updated Dec 16, 2024 11:39 AM IST
The Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library has requested Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to return the personal letters written by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, which were given to Sonia Gandhi during the UPA’s regime in 2008. The request to Rahul Gandhi comes after a similar request was made to Sonia Gandhi in September.
PMML member Rizwan Kadri wrote to Gandhi urging him to return the original letters in possession of Sonia Gandhi or to provide photocopies or digital copies.
The letters were entrusted to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial in 1971. However, these letters were boxed up and sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2008.
The collection of letters that were put in 51 boxes include correspondence between Nehru and other prominent figures such as Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Padmaja Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Govind Ballabh Pant and more.
In his letter, Kadri said that the letters were given to PMML by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for “safekeeping rather than an outright gift”. He cited the minutes of a meeting from 2008 to cite that Sonia Gandhi took the 51 cartons of paper.
The PMML reasoned that the letter could "provide invaluable insights into a critical period of Indian history".
"We understand that these documents may hold personal significance for the ‘Nehru family.’ However, the PMML believes that making these historical materials... more widely accessible would greatly benefit scholars and researchers," the letter stated.
The Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library has requested Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to return the personal letters written by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, which were given to Sonia Gandhi during the UPA’s regime in 2008. The request to Rahul Gandhi comes after a similar request was made to Sonia Gandhi in September.
PMML member Rizwan Kadri wrote to Gandhi urging him to return the original letters in possession of Sonia Gandhi or to provide photocopies or digital copies.
The letters were entrusted to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial in 1971. However, these letters were boxed up and sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2008.
The collection of letters that were put in 51 boxes include correspondence between Nehru and other prominent figures such as Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Padmaja Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Govind Ballabh Pant and more.
In his letter, Kadri said that the letters were given to PMML by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for “safekeeping rather than an outright gift”. He cited the minutes of a meeting from 2008 to cite that Sonia Gandhi took the 51 cartons of paper.
The PMML reasoned that the letter could "provide invaluable insights into a critical period of Indian history".
"We understand that these documents may hold personal significance for the ‘Nehru family.’ However, the PMML believes that making these historical materials... more widely accessible would greatly benefit scholars and researchers," the letter stated.