The Union Ministry of Culture has clarified that letters and notes of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, are not missing. The Congress had asked for an apology, citing earlier government remarks on these documents.
In 2008, Sonia Gandhi’s office had formally requested the return of private family letters of Nehru. Following this, 51 cartons of letters and notes were handed over to her. The ministry says their location is known, so they should not be called missing.
The Culture Ministry has sent letters in January and July 2025 asking Sonia Gandhi to return the documents to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML), so they can be accessed by scholars and the public.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the papers are part of India’s national heritage and cannot be treated as private property. He asked why the documents have not been returned yet.
The clarification came after a parliamentary discussion where the Centre confirmed that no Nehru papers were missing from the PMML’s 2025 audit. The Congress had raised questions and sought an explanation.
These letters are important historical records, and the government wants them preserved in public archives for research and education.
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