Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, directly questioning its senior leader Sonia Gandhi over the non-return of a significant collection of documents related to India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The minister asserted that 51 cartons of Nehru papers were formally taken back by the 'family' in 2008 from the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML), formerly known as the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
A Long-Pending Issue Resurfaces
Shekhawat's pointed remarks came a day after Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh questioned whether the government would apologize. Ramesh cited a government reply in the Lok Sabha stating that no papers relating to Nehru were found missing during the PMML's annual inspection. Countering this, Shekhawat clarified on social media platform X that the papers are 'not missing' because their location is known—they are with Sonia Gandhi. He stressed that these are not private family papers but part of the national historical record belonging in a public archive.
Official Correspondence and Unfulfilled Promises
The Ministry of Culture referenced a letter dated April 29, 2008, in which a request was made on behalf of Sonia Gandhi to take back private family letters and notes of the former Prime Minister. Accordingly, the papers were sent to her. Shekhawat revealed that the PMML has sent multiple reminders for their return, including recent ones in January and July of this year. He noted that Gandhi has acknowledged in writing that the papers are with her and promised cooperation, yet they remain unrepatriated.
"I respectfully ask Sonia Gandhi ji to explain to the country: What is being withheld? What is being hidden?" Shekhawat questioned. He stated that the excuses being offered for not returning the papers are not tenable. Emphasizing the principle of archival openness, he said, "History cannot be curated selectively" and that transparency is a democratic foundation.
Call for Archival Transparency and Access
In his response to Jairam Ramesh, Shekhawat turned the tables, suggesting it would be more appropriate for the Congress leader to urge Sonia Gandhi to honour her commitment. He argued that the papers should be returned so that scholars, citizens, and Parliament can access these crucial historical records. This would allow for an objective examination of the 'Nehruvian' era, he added.
Shekhawat framed the 2008 removal as an act that occurred during the Congress-led UPA regime, a period when he alleged public institutions were often treated as "family preserves." His demand underscores a continuing political tussle over the custody and narrative of historical documents, positioning their return as a matter of national interest and democratic accountability rather than a private family affair.
