Salient Points of BJP National Spokesperson and MP Dr. Sambit Patra’s Press Conference
In 2008, under Sonia Gandhi's instructions, letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru were taken from the then Prime Minister Memorial Museum and Library to her residence with the director's permission
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A member of the PMML and historian from Ahmedabad, Rizwan Kadri wrote to Rahul Gandhi, stating that 51 cartons of Jawaharlal Nehru's letters are with Sonia Gandhi and requested his help in returning this national heritage
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BJP demanded that Sonia Gandhi return the country's historical heritage. It was demanded that an investigation be conducted to determine how many letters were sent and whether all were returned.
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The letters are historical records, not personal property, and the nation has the right to know the nature of the conversations they contain
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Letters were to be digitized in 2010, but before that could happen, Sonia Gandhi took them. This raises the question of what was discussed in them that the Gandhi family doesn't want the nation to know
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Country seeks to understand the contents of these letters, especially the conversations between Lady Mountbatten and Nehru, or between Nehru and Jagjivan Ram and Jayaprakash Narayan. The BJP questions the opposition as to why they have not provided any answers
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Omar Abdullah, the leader of an ally party in Rahul Gandhi's coalition, criticized him for his behaviour, stating that if Rahul Gandhi didn't know how to contest elections, he should not blame the EVM machines
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Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and MP Dr. Sambit Patra addressed a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, on Monday. Dr. Patra criticized the decision to send important letters, containing Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s correspondence with Lady Mountbatten, Babu Jagjivan Ram, and Jayaprakash Narayan, to Sonia Gandhi's residence. These are not mere letters, but historical documents and the nation has the right to know the content of the discussions.
Dr. Patra mentioned that everyone has observed a serious discussion taking place through the medium of Television and today the newspapers have also addressed the issue with seriousness. It is well known that in 1964, the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, located at Teen Murti, has now been transformed into the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML), which honors the memory of all Prime Ministers of India and showcases their contributions.
BJP National Spokesperson mentioned that a committee of 29 members is responsible for managing the PMML. This team held a meeting in February 2024, the minutes of which are recorded and publicly available. During that meeting, a serious matter was brought into the public domain for the first time. It was revealed that, during Jawaharlal Nehru's time, when emails and mobile phones did not exist, communication took place through traditional correspondence. The letters of Jawaharlal Nehru were donated to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in 1971. They were later reviewed in 2008 by the then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's representative, MV Rajan. Rajan studied Nehru’s letters and identified several important ones.
Dr. Patra emphasized that ultimately, on May 5, 2008, with approval from the then director of the Nehru Memorial Library, a large number of significant documents, including correspondence between Nehru and various prominent figures, were packed into 51 cartons. Newspapers have named that those correspondence included letters between Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten, letters between Nehru and LokNayak Jayaprakash Narayan, who led a strong movement against India's darkest chapter the “Emergency”, and correspondence between Nehru and Jagjivan Ram. These letters were packed in the cartons and sent to Sonia Gandhi’s residence by MV Rajan.
BJP National Spokesperson highlighted that during the general body meeting of the PMML members, they realized the need to seek a legal opinion on the matter. The documents related to Nehru are not just letters, but historical records and not personal property. The nation has the right to know the nature of the correspondence. The documents are part of India's national heritage. Therefore, the PMML committee decided to seek a legal opinion on this matter to determine whether taking the letters from the museum was legal. After seeking legal opinion, a letter was written in December by Ahmedabad-based historian Rizwan Qadri, a member of the Prime Minister Museum Memorial Library, to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The letter stated that 51 cartons containing letters from Jawaharlal Nehru were with UPA's former president Sonia Gandhi, and requested assistance in bringing back this national heritage.
Dr. Patra remarked that these letters are part of India's historical heritage, not private property. The fact that they were written by someone's grandfather or father does not make them their personal property; such a sense of entitlement cannot be accepted. These letters are vital for understanding the country's history, and it is essential to study and compile them to educate the nation about its past. They represent a crucial part of India's comprehensive history. It is both surprising and saddening that, instead of being digitized and scanned for public access as planned in 2010, Sonia Gandhi took possession of these letters before the digitization process could begin. This raises doubts, as it is only natural to question what the correspondence contained that the Gandhi family did not want to be made public.
BJP National Spokesperson pointed out that it is quite intriguing and the country truly wants to know what was in the correspondence, such as between Pt Nehru and Lady Mountbatten, Pt Nehru and Jagjivan Ram, Pt Nehru and Jayaprakash Narayan and even letters between Pt Nehru and Albert Einstein. What were the contents of these letters that the first family felt should not be made public? Two serious issues arise from this: first, the sense of entitlement by the first family, believing that it was their property to reclaim at will, and second, the content of these letters. Many media houses wrote to Rahul Gandhi, urging him to provide answers, but as per newspapers, Rahul Gandhi has yet to respond. The BJP would like to question the opposition party as to why the response was never given?
BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Patra highlighted that today’s newspapers reported sharp criticism of Rahul Gandhi from his ally, Omar Abdullah. Omar Abdullah remarked, “If Rahul Gandhi doesn't know how to fight elections, he should not blame the EVM machines. Leadership is earned, not demanded. Leaders rise naturally; one cannot forcefully demand leadership.” The truth about the Gandhi family's legacy and Rahul Gandhi has been recognized even by members of their own allies. Dr. Patra stated that after the document was published in the newspapers, the BJP demanded that Sonia Gandhi return the country's historical heritage. It was demanded that an investigation be conducted to determine how many letters were sent and whether all were returned. If any letters were not returned, an inquiry should take place regarding the content of those letters and what prevented their return.
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