New Delhi, Dec 16 (UNI) A major controversy surrounding the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML), formerly the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), took a sharp turn today after the government formally informed the Lok Sabha that no documents related to India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, were found missing during the institution’s annual inspection in 2025.
The revelation came in response to a Starred Question in the Lok Sabha by BJP MP Sambit Patra. The question specifically asked whether certain Nehru documents had been found missing, improperly or illegally removed, and if any action was taken on the matter.
Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply to the House on December 15, 2025, stated clearly: “No documents related to India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, have been found missing from the museum during the annual inspection of the PMML in the year 2025.” The Congress party immediately seized on the statement, with General Secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, taking to social media to demand an apology from those who had fueled the political fire.
Sharing a copy of the government’s Lok Sabha reply, Ramesh posted on X: “The truth was finally revealed in the Lok Sabha yesterday. Will there be an apology forthcoming?” The statement marks a significant moment, effectively contradicting a long-standing narrative pushed by various quarters regarding the alleged disappearance of Nehru’s papers from the museum.
The issue of Jawaharlal Nehru’s papers has been a flashpoint for political debate, particularly since the renaming of the institution to the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML). The controversy centers on historical documents—including private papers and letters, some reportedly exchanged between Nehru and Lady Edwina Mountbatten—that were originally part of the Nehru Collection at the museum. It had been widely alleged that certain documents, reportedly contained in 51 boxes, were withdrawn from public access by the Nehru-Gandhi family in 2008 during the UPA government’s tenure.
The matter was brought back into the limelight following requests made by a PMML Society member to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to return or provide access to these private papers, which were argued to be part of the nation’s heritage. The BJP had publicly questioned what the family was hiding by retaining the papers.
The government’s reply in Parliament, however, addresses the question of missing documents from the PMML’s current inventory. The Minister’s response to parts (a) to (e) of the question was concise, stating that “a statement is laid on the table of the House,” which then clearly affirmed that no documents were found missing during the annual inspection and that no decision on “non-availability” was taken at the AGM.
Congress demands apology as Govt confirms: No Nehru documents found missing from PMML
