The Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) has formally requested the return of a collection of personal letters written by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, which were reportedly sent to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in 2008 during the UPA government.

In a letter dated December 10, PMML member Rizwan Kadri wrote to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, requesting him to retrieve the original letters from Sonia Gandhi or, alternatively, provide photocopies or digital versions. This communication follows an earlier request made directly to Sonia Gandhi in September.

These letters, considered historically significant, were originally entrusted to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) by the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund in 1971. However, reports suggest that the collection, comprising 51 boxes, was transferred to Sonia Gandhi’s custody in 2008.

The archival material includes correspondence between Nehru and notable personalities such as Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Padmaja Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Govind Ballabh Pant, among others. These letters are said to offer crucial insights into a pivotal era of India’s history.

Acknowledging the personal value these documents may hold for the Nehru-Gandhi family, the PMML emphasized their broader significance for academic and historical research. "We believe that making these materials accessible through the museum's archives would greatly benefit scholars and researchers," the letter noted.

The PMML's appeal underscores the importance of preserving and sharing these documents for their contribution to understanding India's historical narrative.