The Union government on Wednesday sharply criticised Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over the custody of 51 cartons of papers belonging to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and called for their immediate return to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML). The Centre argued that the documents are part of India’s national heritage and must be accessible to scholars, Parliament and the public. The issue resurfaced following a clarification in Parliament that the papers are “not missing” but are currently with the Nehru family.
‘Not Missing, But With The Family’:
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a detailed post on X, said the term “missing” was being misrepresented by the Congress. He clarified that the whereabouts of the Nehru papers are known, as they were formally taken back by Sonia Gandhi in 2008 from the then Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), now renamed PMML.
Responding to a Lok Sabha query by BJP MP Sambit Patra, Shekhawat reiterated that no Nehru-related documents were found missing during PMML’s 2025 annual inspection. He said official records and catalogues of the papers were maintained at the time of their handover. The clarification came after Congress questioned the government’s parliamentary response on the issue.
Demand For Transparency & Public Access
The culture minister asserted that primary historical documents cannot remain outside public archives, arguing that scholars, researchers and citizens have a right to access original records to understand the Nehruvian era objectively. He accused the Congress of a contradiction, discouraging debate on the period while simultaneously withholding source material needed for informed discussion.
नेहरू पेपर्स PMML से “लापता” नहीं हैं।
लापता” होने का अर्थ मौजूदगी का स्थान अज्ञात होना है, इस विषय में तो ज्ञात है कि पेपर्स कहाँ और किसके अधिकार में हैं।
जवाहरलाल नेहरू जी से जुड़े कागज़ात वाले 51 बक्सों को गांधी परिवार ने 2008 में PMML (तत्कालीन NMML) से वापस ले लिया था।…
— Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) December 17, 2025
Shekhawat questioned why the papers had not been returned despite multiple reminders from PMML, including letters sent in January and July 2025. He maintained that these are not private family documents but form part of India’s documentary heritage.
The issue triggered a sharp exchange between the BJP and Congress, with Shekhawat responding directly to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X. He said Sonia Gandhi had earlier acknowledged holding the papers and promised cooperation, urging her to honour that commitment.
The PMML Society, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continues to press for the return of the documents, while the Ministry of Culture reiterated that the Nehru papers must remain in public custody for historical accountability and democratic transparency.
