Centre asks Sonia Gandhi to return Nehru papers, calls them national heritage


New Delhi (Same Day):
The Centre on Sunday renewed its demand for the return of letters and documents related to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, with Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat asserting that the papers were part of the nation’s heritage and not private family property.

Mr. Shekhawat urged Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi to immediately hand over the documents to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML), stating that the public had a right to access records that were crucial to understanding India’s history.

The Minister said that nearly 26,000 documents and letters were taken away from the PMML in 2008. Despite repeated requests over the years, they had not been returned, he added. “These are invaluable historical records and belong to the nation. They should be available in public institutions for scholars, researchers and citizens,” he said.

Emphasising the role of the PMML as a custodian of modern Indian history, Mr. Shekhawat said the continued retention of such material by individuals undermined public access to important archival resources.

The issue of Jawaharlal Nehru’s papers has resurfaced amid political exchanges, with the government reiterating that all documents of national importance must remain in public archives rather than private custody.

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