New Delhi: Rizwan Kadri, an Ahmedabad-based historian and current member of the PMML (formerly NMML) Society, has written a letter to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, seeking the return of personal letters written by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, which were reportedly taken by Sonia Gandhi during the UPA government in 2008.

In an interview with ANI, Kadri stated that in September 2024, he sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi requesting the return of 51 cartons from around eight different sections of the Nehru collections at the Prime Minister’s Museum (formerly the Nehru Memorial). Alternatively, he sought permission to scan these documents or receive their digital copies, enabling researchers to study them and support scholarly work.

According to Kadri, the cartons contain important correspondence, including letters between Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten, as well as with figures such as Govind Ballabh Pant and Jayaprakash Narayan. He noted that records confirm the documents were withdrawn in 2008 under Sonia Gandhi’s direction.

#WATCH | Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Rizwan Kadri, historian & author and one of the members of the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society (formerly Nehru Memorial Museum and Library) says, “In September 2024, I wrote to Sonia Gandhi requesting that the 51 boxes that were withdrawn… pic.twitter.com/gLl4VM93lB

— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2024

After receiving no response from Sonia Gandhi, Kadri wrote to Rahul Gandhi, urging him to intervene and help restore the materials. He emphasized the significance of these documents as part of India’s national heritage and questioned why they were removed, hinting at potentially objectionable content.

Responding to the development, BJP MP Sambit Patra described the matter as “intriguing” and questioned the contents of the letters. He highlighted Kadri’s appeal to Rahul Gandhi to retrieve the documents from Sonia Gandhi, particularly referencing the correspondence with Edwina Mountbatten. Patra speculated about the nature of the letters and why they might have required censorship.

In a tweet Patra wrote, “This is intriguing! From What’s today the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library & formerly Nehru Museum and Library, the then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi took away 51 cartoons of letters written by Nehru to various personalities including “EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN”! In the recently concluded AGM of the PMML one of the members Sh Rizwan Kadri has written to LoP Rahul Gandhi and sought his help in getting back the letters from his mother Sonia Gandhi! What intrigues me is what would have Nehru ji written to EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN that needed censoring and will LOP Rahul help getting back the letters between Nehru and Edwina!”

This is intriguing!
From What’s today the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library & formerly Nehru Museum and Library, the then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi took away 51 cartoons of letters written by Nehru to various personalities including “EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN”!
In the recently… pic.twitter.com/2TVwjPUSi3

— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) December 16, 2024