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The Prime Minister's Museum and Library (PMML) has appealed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to return the collection of historical letters belonging to former prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. These letters were removed from public access in 2008 at the request of Sonia Gandhi, the then-chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), and have since been stored privately.
The collection, originally transferred to the PMML, formerly the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), in 1971 by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, comprises 51 boxes containing personal correspondences PM Nehru exchanged with some of the 20th century's most prominent figures. Among them are letters to Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Edwina Mountbatten, Padmaja Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, and Babu Jagjivan Ram.
"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. We would be grateful for your collaboration in exploring possible solutions," the PMML's letter reads.
The letter to Mr Gandhi follows an earlier correspondence to Sonia Gandhi in September 2024, in which she was requested to return or digitisation of the documents.
"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," said Rizwan Kadri, historian and author Rizwan Kadri who is among the 29 members of the PMML Society, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads.
The PMML was originally established as the NMML in PM Nehru's former residence, the Teen Murti Bhavan in New Delhi to honour his legacy and promote the study of modern Indian history. The NMML's charter outlined maintaining a museum dedicated to PM Nehru's life, acquiring and preserving his personal papers and those of other leaders, and allowing research through access to archives, lectures, and publications.
In August last year, the NMML was renamed the Prime Minister's Museum and Library to recognise the contributions of all Indian Prime Ministers.
According to official records presented at the PMML's Annual General Meeting in February, a collection of PM Nehru's personal letters was transferred to the NMML beginning in 1971. These papers were allegedly sent by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund on behalf of PM Nehru's legal heir, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, for safekeeping rather than as a permanent gift.
The PMML claims that the ownership of these papers remained with PM Nehru's heirs, including Sonia Gandhi after Indira Gandhi's death in 1984. A 1988 letter allegedly states that access to these papers required Sonia Gandhi's explicit permission.
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