The Prime Minister's Museum and Library (PMML) Society has written to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to help get back important historical letters belonging to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
These letters were removed from the museum's public access in 2008, during the UPA government, at the orders of Sonia Gandhi.
Rizwan Kadri, member of the PMML Society, told news agency ANI that he had written to Sonia Gandhi back in September, requesting her to return the documents back to the institution.
"In September 2024, I wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi requesting that the 51 cartoons from approximately eight different sections, which were part of the Nehru collections at the Prime Ministers' Museum (formerly the Nehru Memorial), be either returned to the institution, or we be granted permission to scan them, or provided with their scanned copies. This would allow us to study them and facilitate research by various scholars," he said.
'Letters to Mountbatten, Jayaprakash Narayan'
Kadri further said that these documents included important correspondences between Nehru and Lady Mountbatten, as well as with those exchanged with Pt Govind Ballabh Pant, Jayaprakash Narayan, and others. "These letters are a significant part of Indian history and have been proven through records to have been withdrawn from the museum in 2008 at Sonia Gandhi's direction," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Kadri further said that these documents included important correspondences between Nehru and Lady Mountbatten, as well as with those exchanged with Pt Govind Ballabh Pant, Jayaprakash Narayan, and others. "These letters are a significant part of Indian history and have been proven through records to have been withdrawn from the museum in 2008 at Sonia Gandhi's direction," he added.
{{/usCountry}}When Sonia Gandhi did not respond to Kadri's letter, he wrote another one to Rahul Gandhi.
"Since no response was received from her, I have requested Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to help in getting these materials restored. I have also urged him to consider that these documents are part of the nation's heritage and an important aspect of its history. Until we can view these materials, we cannot determine the reasons for their withdrawal. There must have been some objectionable content for them to have been removed," Kadri said.
Reacting to this, BJP MP Sambit Patra expressed intrigue at Nehru's letters.
In a post on X, Patra said, "From what's today the Prime Minister's Museum and Library and formerly Nehru Museum and Library, the then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi took away 51 cartoons of letters written by Nehru to various personalities including "EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN"! In the recently concluded AGM of the PMML one of the members, Rizwan Kadri has written to LoP Rahul Gandhi and sought his help in getting back the letters from his mother Sonia Gandhi!"
Patra said he is "intrigued" by what Nehru might have written to Lady Mountbatten that needed to hidden from public access, asking whether Rahul Gandhi will help in getting these letters back.
Nehru Museum Memorial and Library in the Teen Murti complex in New Delhi was former PM Jawaharlal Nehru's official residence. Later, it was set up as an autonomous institution in his memory under the Union Culture Ministry.
(with ANI inputs)