The Congress on Wednesday intensified its attack on the BJP-led Centre over an undated photograph purportedly showing Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence and demanding a detailed explanation of the minister's past interactions with him.
The photograph, reportedly released by the US Department of Justice, was widely shared by Congress leaders and social media users. It purportedly shows Puri sitting across a table from Epstein, who died in 2019.
The authenticity and circumstances of the photograph could not be independently established from the material provided.
The Congress has been demanding Puri's resignation since earlier this year, citing references to his name in documents related to Epstein released in the United States. Puri has previously rejected the allegations and maintained that his interactions with Epstein had no connection with the latter's criminal activities.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ '๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Sharing the photograph on X, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal accused the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of failing to act despite allegations concerning Puri's association with Epstein.
"Modi-Shah's complete silence and inaction on this only points to their criminal indifference to such allegations against their own cabinet minister," Venugopal alleged.
He claimed that the latest photograph raised further questions about the nature of Puri's meetings with Epstein and demanded that the government explain why the minister continued to hold office.
Venugopal also sought clarification from the Prime Minister on whether the disclosures could have any bearing on the proposed India-US trade agreement, referring to US President Donald Trump's remarks that the two countries were close to finalising a deal.
๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐
Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera questioned Puri's earlier explanation that he had met Epstein only on a few occasions, including as part of a delegation.
Khera claimed that documents available on the US Department of Justice website indicated substantially more extensive communication between the two than Puri had previously acknowledged.
"Puri claims 1-2 meetings and 3-4 emails over eight years. Quite a neat way to frame it," Khera said.
He alleged that at least 62 emails were exchanged between Epstein and Puri during 2014-2017 and that 14 meetings and other interactions had taken place, including several purportedly held one-on-one.
These figures were presented as Congress allegations and have not been independently verified.
Khera said the photograph strengthened the party's demand for an explanation of the frequency, purpose and nature of the meetings.
He asked which meeting the photograph depicted and whether the Union Petroleum Minister would disclose the full extent of his interactions with Epstein.
The Congress leader also called for an investigation into the matter.
๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ท๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ
Congress social media chairperson Supriya Shrinate also shared the photograph and questioned Puri's earlier account of his meetings with Epstein.
"Didn't Hardeep Puri say he had never met Epstein one-on-one?" she asked in a post on X, while criticising the Prime Minister over the controversy.
Congress Seva Dal chief Srinivas BV also targeted the government, claiming that such disclosures would have triggered resignations in other democracies.
The opposition party has maintained that the government must provide a transparent account of the minister's contacts with Epstein rather than dismiss its concerns.
๐ฃ๐๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฑ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Earlier this year, Puri criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for making insinuations against him and acknowledged having met Epstein on a few occasions.
However, he categorically maintained that those interactions were unrelated to Epstein's criminal conduct.
The minister has rejected the Congress's attempts to link his past meetings with the crimes committed by the convicted American sex offender.
The latest controversy centres on the extent and circumstances of the alleged interactions. The existence of a photograph or correspondence does not, by itself, establish involvement in Epstein's crimes.