Nehru papers 'not private property', with Sonia: Govt

IN ITS FIRST official remark, the Ministry of Culture — in a series of social media posts on Wednesday — said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi took away “all of the private family letters and notes” of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (then Nehru Memorial Museum & Library) in 2008, and that PMML has been in correspondence with her to reclaim the documents.

- DIVYA A

Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat said on Wednesday that Sonia Gandhi has acknowledged in writing that “these papers are with her” and promised to “cooperate” on the issue.

It was reported a day earlier that Sonia has assured the PMML of her cooperation in its bid to obtain a trove of private papers of the country’s first PM. In fact, this is the first time that Sonia has responded to a communication from PMML in the wake of allegations that a bulk of these papers, in 51 cartons, was taken by her in 2008. Sonia conveyed that “her staff will look into it”, sources said.