Nehru's private papers discussed in Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society meeting

New Delhi: The issue related to private papers associated with former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru figured in the discussion during the annual general meeting of the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) Society held in Delhi, sources on Tuesday said.

The 47th annual general meeting of the PMML Society was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and attended by top Union ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among others.

The key meeting of the Society took place at the Teen Murti Bhawan.

The issue of private papers related to former prime minister Nehru, also figured in the discussion, among other matters, sources said, without elaborating on the nature of discussion on the subject.

Another source said that a member of the Society "just raised" this issue during the meeting on Monday.

Nehru, India's first prime minister, lived at Teen Murti Bhawan in central Delhi, which after his death became the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), housing a rich collection of books and rare records.

The NMML Society was renamed two years ago to the PMML Society with effect from August 2023.

The key decision-making body of the PMML is helmed by Modi as its president and Defence Minister Singh as the vice-president.

Rizwan Kadri, 56, who teaches history at a local college in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, had said earlier in September 2024 that he had been vocal in the AGM meetings of the PMML Society for "reclaiming" the papers that were taken back by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi several years ago.

Kadri, a member of the PMML Society, had said "51 boxes" carrying records related to Nehru's private papers were taken back by Gandhi.

In his September 9, 2024 letter to Gandhi, he had urged her to allow physical or digit access to the private papers related to Nehru that are in her possession.

PMML is housed in Teen Murti Bhawan, which also hosts the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya.

The prime minister during the meeting highlighted that with the creation of a museum on all prime ministers, "justice has been done to their legacy, including that of the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru".

"This was not the case before 2014," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Monday after the meeting.

During the AGM, Modi also put forth a concept of creating a "museum map of India" to provide a unified cultural and informational landscape of museums across the country.

"Underlining the importance of increased use of technology, the prime minister suggested development of a comprehensive national database of all museums in the country, incorporating key metrics such as footfall and quality standards," the PMO said.