Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (File photo)
NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday issued a statement, a day after the Congress demanded an apology citing a government reply in Parliament that said no papers were “missing” from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML). In a series of posts on X, the Ministry of Culture rejected the opposition’s claims and defended its stand. On JN papers: Vide letter dated 29.04.2008 Shri 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 return of these papers including the letters from PMML to Smt Sonia Gandhi dated 28-01-2025 and 03-07-2025,” it said asserting that “Nehru Papers are not “missing” from PMML as their whereabouts are known.” Further clarifying it added, “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 research is vital.” This comes after the Congress sought an apology from the central government and the BJP after the Centre informed Parliament that no papers related to Jawaharlal Nehru were missing from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML). The government’s reply in the Lok Sabha came against the backdrop of a controversy in which PMML had alleged that the Congress was in possession of certain papers linked to India’s first prime minister. Raising the issue, BJP MP Sambit Patra asked whether the PMML’s 2025 annual audit had found any Nehru-related papers missing. In response, Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the annual inspection had not found any missing papers relating to Jawaharlal Nehru.
