“As such, Nehru Papers are not ‘missing’ from PMML as their whereabouts are known,” the Ministry of Culture stated.

The government further emphasised that documents related to Jawaharlal Nehru form part of India’s documentary heritage and cannot be treated as private property. It said their custody with PMML and access for citizens and scholars is essential for historical research.

“I respectfully ask Sonia Gandhi ji to explain to the country: What is being withheld? What is being hidden? The excuses being given by Smt Sonia Gandhi for not returning these papers are not tenable. The point is that why are important historical documents still outside the public archive? These are not private family papers,” Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat wrote on X.

The clarification came after the Congress sought an apology from the Centre and the BJP, following a reply in Parliament stating that no Nehru-related papers were missing from PMML.

The issue surfaced in the Lok Sabha after BJP MP Sambit Patra asked whether the PMML’s 2025 annual audit had found any Nehru-related papers missing.

Responding to the question, Shekhawat said the annual inspection had not found any missing documents linked to India’s first prime minister.

“In reality, 51 cartons of Jawaharlal Nehru papers were formally taken back by the family in 2008 from Prime Ministers Museum and Library (then NMML). Their location is known. Hence, they are ‘not missing,'” Shekhawat said.

Shekhawat further questioned why the papers were not returned to the PMML despite repeated reminders between January and July 2025. “The nation deserves clarity,” he added.