PMs’ Museum writes to Sonia Gandhi seeking access to Nehru papers taken in 2008
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New Delhi: The Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (PMML) has written to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for ‘access’ to the papers from former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s private collection.
It is reported that Sonia Gandhi had reclaimed 51 boxes of them in May 2008. Sonia’s office has not yet responded to PMML’s communication, according to The Indian Express.
In February 2014, the PMML Society at its annual general meeting discussed the status of the papers that Sonia Gandhi reclaimed.
However, this is the first time PMML has initiated an official communication with the Congress leader regarding the papers, putting the matter on record.
It is reported citing sources that the PMML sought ‘access to the papers for researchers’ with museum authorities urging her to donate other important ‘correspondence’ linked to Nehru thus helping researchers understand modern Indian history.
The last annual general meeting of the society held in February last year, chaired by Society’s vice-president Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and PM Modi as its president, discussed largely Nehru’s private papers in the PMML’s collection.
Members pointed out that the papers that Sonia had reclaimed should be brought back with the meeting eventually reaching the consensus of seeking legal opinion on ‘ownership, custodianship, copyright and the use of these archival collections’.
Indira Gandhi donated the papers to the organization in 1971 being the heir of the Nehru papers and later by Sonia Gandhi.
It is reported citing PMML records that the papers that Sonia reclaimed in 2008 included letters between former PM Nehru and prominent personalities including Jayaprakash Narayan, Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Aruna Asaf Ali, Vijaya Laxmi Pandit and Jagjivan Ram.
Meanwhile, the new PMML Society’s first annual general meeting will take place in a few weeks with reports saying that the matter will come up again for discussion as a follow-up to last general meeting.