New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over the custody of 51 cartons of documents related to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, demanding their immediate return to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML). The government asserted that the papers are not “missing” but are being kept away from public access, which it described as unacceptable for documents of national historical importance.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a detailed post on X, clarified the government’s position following criticism from the Congress over a written response submitted in Parliament earlier this week. Shekhawat said that since the location of the documents is known, they cannot be described as missing, but stressed that they rightfully belong in public archives.
“No documents related to India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, have been found missing from the PMML during its annual inspection in 2025,” Shekhawat had stated in his written reply to a Lok Sabha query by BJP MP Sambit Patra.
After Nehru’s death, his official residence, Teen Murti Bhawan, was converted into the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), which housed a vast collection of rare books, manuscripts and historical records. In 2023, the NMML was renamed the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library.
According to Shekhawat, 51 cartons of Nehru papers were formally taken back by Sonia Gandhi in 2008, during the UPA government’s tenure, following a written request made on her behalf. “Their whereabouts are known and properly documented. Therefore, these papers are not ‘missing’,” the minister said, adding that PMML maintained full records and catalogues of the documents handed over.
However, the minister strongly questioned why the papers have not been returned despite repeated reminders. “PMML has written to Smt. Sonia Gandhi multiple times, including reminders in January and July 2025. Yet, the papers remain outside the public archive,” Shekhawat said.
He argued that scholars, researchers, students and citizens have a fundamental right to access original documentary sources to develop a balanced and truthful understanding of the Nehruvian era. “History cannot be curated selectively. Transparency is the foundation of democracy, and archival openness is its moral obligation,” he said.
Shekhawat further accused the Congress leadership of hypocrisy, saying that on one hand debates on the decisions of the Nehru era are discouraged, while on the other hand primary source material required for informed debate is kept away from public scrutiny.
“These are not private family papers. They relate to the first Prime Minister of India and are part of the nation’s documentary heritage. Such papers belong in public archives, not behind closed doors,” the minister asserted.
Responding to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh’s criticism on social media, Shekhawat said the facts placed before Parliament were clear. He added that Sonia Gandhi herself had acknowledged in writing that the papers were in her custody and had promised cooperation on the issue.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Culture also reiterated that the Nehru papers are part of India’s national heritage and not private property. In a series of posts, the ministry said that their custody with PMML is essential to ensure access for scholars, Parliament and the general public.
The issue has once again reignited the long-standing political tussle between the BJP and Congress over the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru and the handling of historical records related to India’s early years as an independent nation.