NEW DELHI – Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday strongly refuted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s charges linking him to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Puri said that while he did meet Epstein on a few occasions, his interactions had nothing to do with the infamous sex offender’s criminal offences.
“The Epstein Files are about charges that he had an island where he used to take people to indulge their sexual fantasies, charges of paedophilia, there are victims of this. Those victims have brought cases against people in authority. My interaction had nothing to do with that,” Puri said.
Describing the nature of his interaction with Epstein, Puri said, “These facts are known in the public domain. Three million emails have been released. I was in New York for 8 years, from May 2009, when I joined as India’s Ambassador to the UN. In 2017, I became Minister. There are references to possibly three or four meetings in 8 years.”
He stated that he had already sent a note to Rahul Gandhi in November last year clarifying that his meetings with Epstein were only professional.
“I decided to tell Yuva Neta, Rahul Gandhi, and in the note to him, I told him that after I retired as India’s Ambassador to the UN, a few months later, I was invited to join the International Peace Institute. I was not part of the IPI per se. As part of the delegation of the IPI or the ICM, I met Mr Epstein on a few occasions. The ICM was dealing with international issues, and Mr Epstein was not part of it,” he said.
LIVE: Union Minister Shri @HardeepSPuri addresses press conference at BJP headquarters New Delhi. https://t.co/K0xF9tyx7f
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 11, 2026
He also referred to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal’s dismissal of references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 visit to Israel in an email purportedly part of the Epstein Files, dubbing them “trashy ruminations of a convicted criminal”.
Asserting that he had no interest in Epstein’s activities, Puri said: “For them, I was not the right person,” claiming that the American financier had called him “two-faced” and that Gandhi should read the emails.
What did Rahul Gandhi say about Hardeep Puri?
Earlier in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi alleged that businessman Anil Ambani was linked to the Epstein Files and questioned why he was not in jail. “I would also like to ask Hardeep Puri, who introduced him to Epstein. I know who introduced him, and Hardeep Puri knows who introduced him…,” Gandhi claimed.
Gandhi had alluded to “direct pressure on the Prime Minister” while signing the deal. “The main thing is that no PM would do this in a normal situation… Someone would do this only when there is a certain grip on them,” he said, adding, “Why has he (Modi) sold India — because they (the US) are choking him. They have a grip on his neck.”
Epstein Files में हरदीप पुरी और अनिल अंबानी के नाम हैं।
अडानी के खिलाफ चल रहे केस में भी समन जारी किए गए हैं। जिसपर भारत सरकार ने पिछले 18 महीनों से कोई जवाब नहीं दिया है। PM मोदी पर सीधा दबाव है।
बिना किसी दबाव के हिंदुस्तान का कोई भी प्रधानमंत्री देश के किसानों, डेटा,… pic.twitter.com/RZispOBfj4
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 11, 2026
Later, speaking to reporters outside the House, Rahul reiterated his charge and suggested that there was pressure on Prime Minister Modi to sign the trade deal with the US that, according to him, compromises with the interests of the people of India.
“The names of Hardeep Puri and Anil Ambani are in the Epstein Files. Summons have also been issued in the ongoing case against Adani. The Indian government has not responded to them for the past 18 months. There is direct pressure on PM Modi. Without any pressure, no Prime Minister of India would ever compromise on matters concerning the country’s farmers, data, energy, and defence. No one would do this unless there is heavy pressure and a very special hold over them,” he added.
ANN/The Statesman
