The Tamesis
February 12, 2026
New Delhi – Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday strongly refuted Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations linking him with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Puri told a news conference in Delhi that while he did meet Epstein on several occasions, their interactions were not relevant to the notorious sex offender’s criminal offences.
“The Epstein dossier involves allegations that he owned an island where he took people to indulge in sexual fantasies, accusations of pedophilia, and there were victims. Those victims filed lawsuits against those in power. My interaction had nothing to do with that,” Puri said.
Describing the nature of his interactions with Epstein, Puri said: “These facts are public knowledge. Three million emails have been released. I was in New York for eight years, starting in May 2009 when I was India’s ambassador to the United Nations. In 2017, I became a minister. There are mentions of maybe three to four meetings held over eight years.”
He said he sent a note to Rahul Gandhi in November last year clarifying that his meeting with Epstein was 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 United Nations, a few months later, I was invited to join the International Peace Institute. I am not a member of IPI per se. I met Mr. Epstein on several occasions as part of IPI or ICM delegations. ICM was dealing with international issues in which Mr. Epstein was not involved,” he said.
Live: Union Minister Shri @HardeepSPuri addresses a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. https://t.co/K0xF9tyx7f
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 11, 2026
He also pointed to Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal’s dismissal of a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 visit to Israel in an email purportedly part of the Epstein dossier, calling it “garbage musings on a convicted criminal.”
Puri claimed he was not interested in Epstein’s activities, saying “I was not the right person for them” and claimed the US financier called him a “two-faced man” and that Gandhi should read the emails.
What did Rahul Gandhi say to Hardeep Puri?
Earlier, Gandhi claimed in the Lok Sabha that businessman Anil Ambani was linked to the Epstein dossier and questioned why he was not jailed. “I also want to ask Hardeep Puri who introduced him to Epstein. I know who introduced him and Hardeep Puri also knows who introduced him…” Gandhi claimed.
Gandhi had mentioned “direct pressure on the Prime Minister” while signing the agreement. “The bottom line is, in normal circumstances, no prime minister would do this… Only when they are under certain control, will anyone do this,” he said, adding, “Why is he (Modi) selling India – because they (the United States) are strangling him. They have him by the neck.”
The Epstein File
अडरनी के खिलरफ चल रहे केस में भी समन जरी किए गए हैं। 18-18-18 नहीं दियर है। PM मोदी पर सीधर दबव है।
बिनर किसी दबव के हिंदुस्तरन की कोई भी प्रधरनमंत्रीदेशकेकिसरनों, डेटर्रीदेशकेकिसरनों,… pic.twitter.com/RZispOBfj4
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 11, 2026
Later, speaking to reporters outside the House, Rahul reiterated his accusations and said Prime Minister Modi was under pressure to sign a trade deal with the United States, which he believed was damaging to the interests of the Indian people.
“The names of Hardeep Puri and Anil Ambani are in the Epstein dossier. Subpoenas have also been issued in the ongoing case against Adani. The Indian government has not responded to them in the past 18 months. Prime Minister Modi is under direct pressure. Without any pressure, the Indian Prime Minister will never compromise on issues involving the country’s farmers, data, energy and defence. No one will do so unless under tremendous pressure and very special controls,” he added.
