Nehru's Letters to Mountbatten, Einstein in Sonia Gandhi's Possession: Historian's Big Charge

New Delhi: The Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) has officially requested the return of a significant collection of personal letters written by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, which were sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2008 during the UPA regime. These letters, considered to be of immense historical value, were entrusted to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) in 1971, but were sent to Sonia Gandhi. 

"We understand that these documents may hold personal significance for the ‘Nehru family.’ However, the PMML believes that making these historical materials... more widely accessible would greatly benefit scholars and researchers," said PMML member Rizwan Kadri in a letter dated December 10.

“PMML further informed that as per record, in March 2008 MV Rajan visited the PMML to segregate Private Papers and papers related to government from the Jawaharlal Nehru (SG) Papers,” he wrote, citing the Annual General Meeting minutes.

“After this segregation was completed, all personal papers, as identified by Rajan and the PMML team working with him, were sent to Sonia Gandhi in 51 carton boxes on 05 May 2008 with the approval of the then Director, PMML," Kadri added.

The collection includes letter exchanged between Nehru and notable figures, including Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Padmaja Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Govind Ballabh Pant, and many others.

Second Call for Return of Nehru's Letters

Speaking to news agency ANI, the historian and author revealed that he had written to Sonia Gandhi in September 2024, requesting the return of the 51 boxes removed from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in 2008 but “there was no response.”

He stated, “I asked for the boxes to be returned to the institution, or for permission to view, scan, or obtain copies of the documents for research purposes. These boxes contain several crucial letters, including those from Jayaprakash Narayan, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Edwina Mountbatten, and other significant correspondence related to Indian history.”

He added, “Since there was no response from her, I have now reached out to the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi , seeking his help in retrieving them. We hope that, as the Leader of the Opposition, he will take this matter seriously and make these documents accessible for researchers.”

BJP 's Stinging Questions on Sonia Gandhi's Possession of Nehru's Letters

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya responded, saying, “This is fascinating! Reports suggest that Sonia Gandhi, as UPA Chairperson, allegedly took 51 cartons of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to various prominent figures, including Edwina Mountbatten, from what is now the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library. During a recent AGM of the PMML, a member, Rizwan Kadri, wrote to Rahul Gandhi, urging him to help retrieve these letters from his mother. What’s particularly intriguing is: What could Nehru have written to Edwina Mountbatten that warranted such secrecy? And will Rahul Gandhi act to recover them?”

BJP MP Sambit Patra also reacted on X, writing, “This is intriguing! Sonia Gandhi, as UPA Chairperson, took 51 cartons of letters written by Nehru to various figures, including Edwina Mountbatten, from the Nehru Museum and Library, now the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library. At the recent PMML AGM, Rizwan Kadri wrote to Rahul Gandhi, asking for his help in retrieving these letters from his mother. What I find curious is what Nehru could have written to Edwina Mountbatten that required censorship. Will Rahul Gandhi assist in recovering these letters?”