Nehru's 'missing documents' row: Here is what govt told Lok Sabha | Details

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday informed the Lok Sabha that no documents regarding former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru are missing from the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) in 2025. Also, it informed the absence of an annual audit of its documents.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared the government's reply in the Lok Sabha on X and said, "The truth was finally revealed in the Lok Sabha yesterday. Will there be an apology forthcoming?"

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Minister of culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was replying to BJP MP Sambit Patra's question when said in a written statement that there was “no annual audit of documents” at the PMML and that “no documents related to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru have been found missing from the museum during the annual inspection of the PMML in the year 2025”, and the issue was not discussed at the PMML’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2025.

Former PM Nehru’s private papers have been the subject of intense debate and discussions. Earlier, one could find the documents in the “private papers” section of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Notably, in 2023, it was renamed the Prime Ministers Museum and Library. In July, the PMML had written to Sonia Gandhi over the papers. A couple of months later, Gandhi responded, saying that she would look into the matter and reply to them, according to reports.

The dispute dates back to 2008, when the UPA government approved the shifting of around 50 boxes of Nehru’s private papers from the library. But there was no formal agreement on it, with officials alleging that it led to the loss of important archival material. According to reports, the matter will remain paused unless Sonia Gandhi or the Nehru family takes some steps to return the material or permit the digitisation of the documents.