• By Nidhi Giri
  • Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:52 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

The Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) has written a letter to Rahul Gandhi requesting the Congress party to either return the personal papers of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, provide copies of them, or grant digitised access. The letters were donated to the museum, however, were taken away from public access in 2008 at the request of Sonia Gandhi. The letters were written by Jawaharlal Nehru to Edwina Mountbatten – the wife of Lord Mountbatten; Jayaprakash Narayan, and Babu Jagjivan Ram among others.

In September too, a similar letter by the PMML urged Sonia Gandhi to either return the papers, provide copies, or offer digitised access to them. The letters demanding the return of the papers were written by Rizwan Kadri- a historian and author, also one of the members of the PMML society.

“On September 9, I wrote to Sonia Gandhi Ji and now again I have written to Rahul Gandhi,” Kadri told CNN-News18.

“In the letter, I have requested Rahul Gandhi and mentioned that whatever collection has been withdrawn in 2008 on the behest of Sonia Gandhi Ji, which has around 51 cartons, should be returned,” Kadri stated.

In September, Kadri had told the media that 51 boxes, carrying records related to Jawaharlal Nehru, were taken back by Sonia Gandhi’s office from the PMML, formerly known as the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, or NMML.

“The collection that was withdrawn included Jayaprakash Narayan, Babu Jagjivan Ram, the Edwina Mountbatten collection and several other collections," Kadri had said, adding that the papers were being demanded back to ensure a comprehensive understanding of India’s history.

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BJP Reacts To Nehru's Letters

Meanwhile, in separate X posts, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra, and the party’s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, asked if the contents of the letter needed “censoring".

“This is intriguing! From What’s today the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library & 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"!" (sic), Sambit Patra wrote.

“In the recently concluded AGM of the PMML one of the members Sh Rizwan Kadri has written to LoP Rahul Gandhi and sought his help in getting back the letters from his mother Sonia Gandhi!"

“What intrigues me is what would have Nehru ji written to EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN that needed censoring and will LOP Rahul help getting back the letters between Nehru and Edwina!," (sic), he added.

Amit Malviya stated, “This is fascinating! From what is now the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (formerly the Nehru Museum and Library), it is reported that the then UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, allegedly took away 51 cartons of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to various personalities, including Edwina Mountbatten."

“What I find particularly intriguing is: what might Nehru ji have written to Edwina Mountbatten that warranted such censorship? And will Rahul Gandhi act to recover these letters?" (sic), Malviya’s post on X read.

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Congress Alleges PM Modi Is Obssessed With Nehru 

On Sunday, the Congress party hit out at PM Modi, describing his model as the one based on the defamation of Jawaharlal Nehru and minimum democratic governance.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh mentioned that PM Modi has an “obsession" with Nehru as he remembers the country’s first Prime Minister to deviate the country’s attention from his “own failures" and current challenges on which he maintains a “complete silence".

The Prime Minister was targeted by the Congress a day after the former attacked the party during the debate on the ‘Glorious 75-year journey of India’s Constitution’.

On December 14, Prime Minister Modi accused Congress of sowing “seeds of discord and negativity” instead of embracing the Constitution.

“One family within the Congress party has done everything possible to undermine the Constitution. I refer to this family because it governed the country for 50 years, and as a result, the nation deserves to be aware of this. The harmful practices, poor policies, and negative ideologies of this family persist to this day,” PM Modi said.