Jawaharlal Nehru Letters to Edwina, JP, and Einstein: PM Museum Writes to Rahul Gandhi

Jawaharlal Nehru Letters to Edwina, JP, and Einstein: The member of the Prime Minister Museum and Library (PMML) Society, Rizwan Kadri, has written a letter to Rahul Gandhi seeking return of 51 boxes of documents related to Jawaharlal Nehru. The boxes are believed to contain personal letters Nehru wrote to Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Jayaprakash Narayan, Padmaja Naidu, and Govind Ballabh Pant among others.

Important Facts from Letter by Rizwan Kadri

1. File Records Sought

Rizwan Kadri also alleged that 51 boxes containing Nehru's personal letters were dispatched to Sonia Gandhi under the UPA government in the year 2008.

Initially, these file records had been handed over to Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (now PMML) way back in the year 1971.

Kadri has urged that since these are very important pieces of historical material, these should also be made accessible to scholars and researchers.

2. Value of the Letters

According to the report, the letters contain communication with distinguished personalities:

Edwina Mountbatten
Albert Einstein
Jayaprakash Narayan
Padmaja Naidu
Babu Jagjivan Ram
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Govind Ballabh Pant

Kadri said that the files are of utmost importance in the study of Indian history and their availability will prove fruitful for researchers worldwide.

What Rizwan Kadri Has Demanded

Kadri asked Rahul Gandhi to return the original letters or hand over photocopies or soft copies to the PMML.
He recognized that these documents had a personal significance to the Nehru family but emphasized their wider utility for academic purposes.

History of the Documents

The documents were donated to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in 1971.
PMML believes that these materials should be accessible so that the history of India can be preserved.

PMML Management and Extended Tenure

The PMML Society, whose tenure was recently extended by a few months, includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the chairman and Rajnath Singh as the vice-chairman.
Other prominent members include Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Dharmendra Pradhan.

Kadri’s Appeal to Rahul Gandhi

After receiving no response from Sonia Gandhi to his letter in September 2024, Kadri reached out to Rahul Gandhi on December 10, 2024.
He further hoped that Rahul Gandhi would facilitate the return or access to these documents as an opposition leader.