Archival Warfare: Nishikant Dubey Uses 1961 Letter To Target Jawaharlal Nehru, Counter Rahul Gandhi

Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 19:02 IST

The document shared on X by the BJP MP is a letter dated January 30, 1961, addressed to Field Marshal KM Cariappa

Dubey’s counter-argument is that if the Opposition can bring an unpublished, unverified memoir into parliamentary discourse, the Treasury benches are equally entitled to bring historical records and published biographies of the Nehru-Gandhi family into the House. (Image: X)

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took to the social media platform X on Wednesday to share a letter purportedly written by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The post comes amid a high-voltage parliamentary standoff regarding the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, titled Four Stars of Destiny.

The document shared by Dubey is a letter dated January 30, 1961, addressed to Field Marshal KM Cariappa. In the purported correspondence, Nehru declines an invitation to attend a dance recital in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) intended to raise funds for the Edwina Mountbatten Memorial Fund.

While Nehru cites the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament and a scheduled trip to London for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ meeting as reasons for his inability to attend, Dubey’s sharing of the letter is intended to highlight the personal relationship between Nehru and the Mountbattens. The letter also touches upon the media coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to India at the time, noting that All India Radio (AIR) had given “considerable prominence" to her itinerary.

Parliamentary Context: The ‘Memoir War’

The timing of this post is a calculated response to the strategy of the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. Over the past three days, Gandhi has repeatedly attempted to quote from General Naravane’s unpublished book to criticise the government’s handling of the 2020 Ladakh standoff.

Dubey’s counter-argument is that if the Opposition can bring an unpublished, unverified memoir into parliamentary discourse, the Treasury benches are equally entitled to bring historical records and published biographies of the Nehru-Gandhi family into the House.

“Rahul Gandhi has held the Parliament hostage over an unpublished book," Dubey asserted. “If one book can be cited, I have come with 100 books. The history of the family must be revealed."

The Escalation

The sharing of this letter follows a chaotic session in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, where Dubey’s remarks led to multiple adjournments. By bringing documents related to the Edwina Mountbatten Memorial Fund into the public eye, Dubey is attempting to pivot the national narrative from current military strategies to historical personal conduct, a recurring theme in the BJP’s ideological critique of the Congress party.

The MEA and the Ministry of Defence have previously maintained that General Naravane’s book is still undergoing a mandatory security review. By contrast, Dubey’s use of the 1961 letter serves as a “verified" historical anchor for his broader political attack, aimed at questioning the legacy and priorities of the Congress party’s foundational leadership.

News politics Archival Warfare: Nishikant Dubey Uses 1961 Letter To Target Jawaharlal Nehru, Counter Rahul Gandhi

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