AHEAD OF the primary annual basic assembly of its newly fashioned Society, the Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (PMML) is learnt to have written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, searching for “entry” to the papers from Jawaharlal Nehru’s personal assortment which she had reclaimed in 2008. Sources stated Sonia’s workplace has not responded to PMML’s communication.
Sonia’s workplace didn’t reply to an e-mail despatched by The Indian Specific on the matter.
In keeping with sources, the PMML, in its letter to Sonia, has “sought entry to the papers for researchers”. The museum authorities have additionally requested her to donate some other essential correspondence pertaining to Nehru that will assist researchers’ understanding of recent Indian historical past.
On the final AGM in February final yr, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh because the Society’s vice-president — Prime Minister Narendra Modi is its president — a big a part of the discussions centred round Nehru’s personal papers within the PMML’s assortment, of which 51 bins have been taken again by Sonia in Could 2008.
There was a view among the many members that the papers taken by Sonia must be recalled, and a consensus was reached to hunt authorized opinion on the “possession, custodianship, copyright and the usage of these archival collections”, for the reason that papers have been donated to the organisation by Indira Gandhi in 1971 (because the inheritor of the Nehru papers) and subsequently by Sonia.
In keeping with PMML information, the papers reclaimed by Sonia in 2008 embrace letters exchanged between Nehru and Jayaprakash Narayan, Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Aruna Asaf Ali, Vijaya Laxmi Pandit and Jagjivan Ram.
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On January 15 this yr, the PMML Society and Govt Council have been reconstituted with former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Nripendra Mishra, getting one other 5 years because the organisation’s chairperson. There have been a number of new entrants, together with former Union Minister Smriti Irani, former NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, retired Military Lt Normal Syed Ata Hasnain, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and Sanskar Bharati’s Vasudev Kamath.
The primary annual basic assembly of the brand new PMML Society is scheduled to be held in just a few weeks. Sources stated the matter is more likely to come up then, as a follow-up to the deliberations on the final AGM. These conscious of the proceedings stated the communication to Sonia could pave the best way for future motion.
In the meantime, forward of the digitisation of its archives, the PMML has additionally written to the households and places of work of all Prime Ministers — former and present — asking them to donate any essential correspondence. To date, former Prime Minister Charan Singh’s grandson is learnt to have responded, conveying the household’s willingness to donate some paperwork and artefacts pertaining to his life and time.