New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday (Feb 11) launched a sharp counterattack against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi after the latter referred to his alleged links with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in the Lok Sabha.
Terming the remarks “baseless allegations,” Puri criticised Gandhi for raising the issue in Parliament and then leaving the House without listening to the reply.
“We have a youth leader who placed a few things before Parliament today. He has a habit of making baseless allegations,” Puri said, without initially naming Gandhi.
‘Two kinds of leaders’
Drawing a contrast between political leadership styles, Puri said there are “two kinds of leaders” in public life.
“There are those who assume responsibility in the political system and dedicate their lives to social service, transforming the country and strengthening it economically. And then there are other leaders who occasionally come to the country and, when they come to Parliament, walk out of the House when someone gives them a substantive reply,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Gandhi’s conduct, Puri added, “He left after his own speech today and did not stay to hear the response.”
Clarification on Epstein references
Responding to remarks made by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, who questioned his alleged introduction to Epstein, Puri said the facts were already in the public domain.
“Three million emails have been released. I was in New York for eight years from May 2009 when I joined as India’s Ambassador to the UN. In 2017, I became a minister. There are references to possibly three or four meetings in eight years,” he said.
Puri clarified that after retiring as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he was invited to join the International Peace Institute (IPI). He said that in his professional capacity, he was part of delegations that engaged with various global figures.
“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.
The minister also referred to an email dated November 13, 2014, which he said was addressed to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, adding that Epstein may have been copied on the communication.
“I was a private citizen in 2014 when I wrote that email,” Puri stated.
The exchange marks the latest escalation in political tensions between the BJP and the Congress during the ongoing Parliament session. While the Congress has sought to raise questions over the alleged links, the government has dismissed the charges as unfounded and politically motivated.
