'51 Cartons Taken Back': Centre Slams Sonia Gandhi Over Nehru Papers, Seeks Their Return

The Centre has demanded the immediate return of “51 cartons” of historical records associated with India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, accusing her for “withholding” papers of national importance.

Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat publicly criticised Sonia Gandhi, stressing that historical documents related to Jawaharlal Nehru “belong in public archives, not behind closed doors”.

Shekhawat said the papers should be immediately returned to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) from where they were “taken back” in 2008. He said scholars, researchers, students, and citizens “have a right to access original documentary sources to arrive at a truthful and balanced understanding” of

Nehru’s era.

“…this is no ordinary matter. History cannot be curated selectively. Transparency is the foundation of democracy and archival openness is its moral obligation which Mrs Gandhi and the ‘family’ need to uphold,” Shekhawat said in a long post on X.

Nehru Papers are not “missing” from PMML.
“Missing” entails that the whereabouts are unknown.
In reality, 51 cartons of Jawaharlal Nehru papers were formally taken back by the family in 2008 from Prime Ministers Museum and Library (then NMML). Their location is known. Hence, they…

— Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) December 17, 2025

After Nehru’s death, the Teen Murti Bhawan in central Delhi became the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), housing a rich collection of books and rare records. The NMML was renamed Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library in 2023.

The Nehru papers have been a contentious issue between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, and a section within the PMML has been pushing for “reclaiming” these papers that were taken back by Sonia Gandhi several years ago.

‘PAPERS NOT MISSING’

This follows a written clarification provided in Parliament regarding the status of documents held by the PMML, on December 15.

In response to a query, Shekhawat said “no documents related to India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, have been found missing from the museum during the annual inspection of the PMML in the year 2025”.

He has now written a post on social media to throw more light on the status of papers, asserting that the documents are “not missing from PMML” as that will imply their “whereabouts are unknown”.

“In reality, 51 cartons of Jawaharlal Nehru papers were formally taken back by the family in 2008 from the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (then NMML). Their location is known. Hence, they are ‘not missing’,” he said.

He said these papers were “handed over officially in 2008, on request”, with records and catalogues maintained by PMML. The removal of the papers took place during the UPA period, when, as per him, “public institutions were often treated as family preserves”, he added.

‘HERITAGE NOT PRIVATE PROPERTY’

The ministry of culture also weighed in, stating that these documents “form part of the nation’s documentary heritage and not a private property”. It said their “custody with PMML and access to citizens and scholars for research is vital”.

“On JN papers: Vide letter dated 29.04.2008 Shri M V Rajan, representative of Smt. Sonia Gandhi, requested that Smt. Gandhi wishes to take back all of the private family letters and notes of former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru,” the ministry wrote in its first post on X.

On JN papers:

Vide letter dated 29.04.2008 Shri M V Rajan, representative of Smt. Sonia Gandhi, requested that Smt. Gandhi wishes to take back all of the private family letters and notes of former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru. (1/4) @gssjodhpur

— Ministry of Culture (@MinOfCultureGoI) December 17, 2025

Shekhawat said Sonia Gandhi has acknowledged in writing that the papers are with her and promised to cooperate on the matter. But he noted that despite “multiple reminders from PMML including the recent reminders in January and July 2025”, the papers have not been returned.

“The nation deserves clarity. What is being withheld? What is being hidden?” he asked.

(With PTI inputs)