The Prime Minister's Museum and Library (PMML) has, for the first time, officially requested the return of personal letters written by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. These letters, addressed to notable individuals such as Edwina Mountbatten, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Albert Einstein, are said to be in the possession of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. The request was first made in 2008 during the UPA regime.

The BJP has accused Sonia Gandhi of taking 51 boxes of Nehru's letters, which were originally stored at the Prime Minister's Museum and Library. Among these, the letters Nehru wrote to Edwina Mountbatten have received a lot of attention. Despite being written 80 years ago, these letters remain a topic of political and public debate due to their historical and personal significance.

Why are the letters important?

Historian Rizwan Kadri, a member of the PMML, explained that these letters provide important information about Nehru’s connections with well-known figures like Edwina Mountbatten, Padmaja Naidu, Jayaprakash Narayan, Albert Einstein, Aruna Asaf Ali, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Govind Ballabh Pant. Kadri recently wrote to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asking him to either get the original letters back from Sonia Gandhi or share photocopies or digital versions of them.

In his letter dated December 10, Kadri mentioned that these documents are crucial for researchers and historians. He argued that the letters belong in the PMML, where they would be accessible for academic purposes. “These letters pertain to Nehru’s communication with several influential people. Making them available could greatly help scholars and researchers,” he stated.

This is the first time Congress has been officially asked to return the letters in writing. Similar requests had been made verbally to Sonia Gandhi in the past, including one in September.

What do we know about Nehru’s letters to Edwina Mountbatten?

Nehru’s letters to Edwina are private and not available to the public. However, some details about their relationship have been shared by Edwina’s daughter, Pamela Hicks, in her book Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten. Pamela wrote that Nehru and Edwina had a deep and meaningful bond, which started in 1947 when Edwina came to India with her husband, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India.

Pamela stated that her mother and Nehru deeply respected and admired each other. “Edwina found in Panditji the companionship and equality of spirit and intellect that she craved,” she wrote. Pamela further clarified that while her mother and Nehru shared an emotional bond, they did not have a physical relationship. “Quite apart from the fact that neither my mother nor Panditji had time to indulge in a physical affair, they were rarely alone,” she noted.

Pamela shared an interesting story about Edwina and Nehru. When Edwina was about to leave India, she wanted to give Nehru an emerald ring as a gift. However, she knew Nehru would not accept it, so she decided to give the ring to his daughter, Indira Gandhi, instead.

Nehru’s farewell speech to Edwina also expressed their bond. In this emotional speech, Nehru said, “Wherever you have gone, you have brought solace; you have brought hope and encouragement. Is it surprising, therefore, that the people of India should love you and look up to you as one of themselves and should grieve that you are going?”

Why is there a controversy now?

The BJP has strongly criticised Sonia Gandhi for allegedly taking letters from the PMML in 2008. BJP spokesperson Sambity Patra claimed that Congress removed 51 cartons of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru and questioned why these letters were kept a secret. Patra said, “The Gandhi family’s apparent restlessness is causing the country to wonder. Today, the nation wants to know what they are trying to hide.”

Patra also shared parts of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s autobiography, India Wins Freedom, which mentions that Lady Mountbatten had "greater influence" on Nehru. This has added more fuel to the ongoing debate.

Political analyst Pradeep Bhandari also raised concerns on social media, asking, “What was so secretive in the letters India’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote to Edwina Mountbatten that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi took them in her personal possession? The country demands answers from Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.”

Should the letters be made public?

The PMML believes that the letters, which offer "invaluable insights into a critical period of Indian history," should be available for public study. In his letter to the Gandhis, Rizwan Kadri mentioned that Nehru’s personal papers were given to the PMML by his daughter, Indira Gandhi, in 1971 for safekeeping. These documents were never meant to be taken away.

Kadri acknowledged that the letters might be personally important to the Nehru family, but he emphasised that their availability to researchers is of national importance. “We understand that these documents may hold personal significance for the Nehru family. However, the PMML believes that making these historical materials... more widely accessible would greatly benefit scholars and researchers,” he wrote.

Critics argue that while the letters could reveal Nehru’s personal relationships and his views on key historical events, making them public might invade his privacy. Others believe that releasing the letters could provide valuable information about India’s diplomacy in the early years of independence.