Nehru Papers Not Missing, in Sonia Gandhi’s Possession: Centre
Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat issued the clarification after the Congress cited a parliamentary reply on the issue and demanded an apology from the Union government.
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday clarified that the Nehru Papers are not “missing” from the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (PMML), stating that they are in the possession of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and asked her to explain what documents are being withheld.
Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat issued the clarification after the Congress cited a parliamentary reply on the issue and demanded an apology from the Union government.
Referring to a post by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh seeking an apology, Shekhawat said on X that the facts placed before the Lok Sabha were clear and on record. “The Nehru Papers were taken out in 2008 during the UPA period, when public institutions were often treated as family preserves. Smt. Sonia Gandhi herself acknowledged in writing that these papers are with her and promised to cooperate on the matter,” he said.
The minister said it would be more appropriate for the Congress to urge Sonia Gandhi to honour her commitment and return the papers to the PMML so that scholars, citizens and Parliament could access these historical records and examine the Nehru era objectively.
In another post, Shekhawat said the papers cannot be termed “missing” as their whereabouts are known. “As many as 51 cartons of Jawaharlal Nehru papers were formally taken back by the family in 2008 from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library, then known as the NMML. Hence, they are not missing,” he said.
He added that the papers were handed over officially in 2008 at the family’s request, with proper records and catalogues maintained by the PMML. The minister questioned why the documents had not been returned despite repeated reminders from the PMML, including those issued in January and July 2025.
“The nation deserves clarity. I respectfully ask Sonia Gandhi to explain what is being withheld and what is being hidden. These are not private family papers. They relate to the first Prime Minister of India and form part of our national historical record. Such documents belong in public archives, not behind closed doors,” Shekhawat said.
He asserted that scholars, researchers, students and citizens have a right to access original documentary sources to form a balanced understanding of Jawaharlal Nehru’s life and times. “History cannot be curated selectively. Transparency is the foundation of democracy, and archival openness is its moral obligation,” he added.
Sharing the minister’s written reply to a question raised by BJP MP Sambit Patra, Ramesh posted on X that the truth had been revealed in the Lok Sabha and again sought an apology from the government.
Responding to the controversy, the government reiterated that no documents related to India’s first Prime Minister were found missing during the PMML’s annual inspection in 2025.
