Epstein connection: Oppn leaders question Minister Puri's version of one-on-one meeting
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New Delhi: Opposition leaders have started raising fresh questions about a photograph, apparently of a one on one meeting, that has come from US department of Justice showing Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri with the sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Leaders of the Congress, TMC and NCP (SP) have asked for an explanation about the Puri's earlier statement that he had met convicted sexual offender Epstein as part of a delegation when the photograph shows no one else in attendance.
The question raised by Opposition leaders also coincides with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Mumbai, and he has already visited the Jamnagar refinery of Reliance group.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday questioned the timing of the release and asked whom the U.S. was trying to “blackmail”.
“Rubio goes to Mumbai. The U.S. DOJ releases a picture of Epstein and Puri,” Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X. “Dear BJP and RSS workers, which anti-national traitor do you think they’re blackmailing?” he added.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also pointed finger at Puri and his earlier statement that he had met Epstein three or four times as part of official delegations.
“Epstein Paaji told us he only met Epstein as part of a delegation 3-4 times. Guess the other delegates were hiding under the table in these 2 photos, Paaji,” Ms. Moitra said in a post on X, sharing photographs of Puri with Epstein.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also questioned Puri's claim that he had never met Epstein "one-on-one".
"Didn’t Hardeep Puri say he had never met Epstein one-on-one? What kind of people does Modi like and chooses to have around him?Do you need any more proof - why RSS and the right-wing can never ever respect and treat women as equals?" she asked.
The chorus of queries was joined by Congress leader Pawan Khera who questioned the Minister's version of the interactions. Khera also cited documents available on the DoJ website, and claimed that 62 emails had been exchanged between the two between 2014 and 2017.
“14 meetings and extensive interactions — that we know of so far — were held, and many of those were one-on-one meetings. The recent photos have only strengthened our claims while questions persist,” Mr. Khera said in his X post.