Puri’s remarks came hours after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised his name in the Lok Sabha amid the ongoing political controversy surrounding references to the so-called “Epstein files.” Addressing a press conference in the capital, Puri rejected any insinuation of wrongdoing and described the allegations as “baseless.”
“Since I took charge as India’s Ambassador to the United Nations in May 2009 until I became a minister in 2017, nearly three million emails from that period have been released,” Puri said. “During this time, only three or four meetings are referenced, and my conversations were entirely professional, related to the Independent Commission on Multilateralism and other international work.”
Rahul Gandhi had questioned why industrialist Anil Ambani had not faced legal consequences, claiming Ambani’s name appeared in documents linked to Epstein. “I know who introduced him to Epstein. Hardeep Puri also knows who introduced him,” Gandhi said during the debate.
The Congress party has repeatedly cited alleged email exchanges involving Ambani, Epstein and former US political figures. Party leader Pawan Khera posted screenshots on social media platform X, claiming they showed a 2017 conversation in which Ambani sought assistance in arranging meetings with Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon, as well as support for a Trump-Modi meeting. Another purported 2019 exchange referenced a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has dismissed these claims.
Puri also confirmed meeting LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, describing it as part of routine professional engagement. “At that time, as a private citizen, I was sharing my understanding of India’s opportunities,” he said.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that it had seen reports referring to an email mentioning the Prime Minister’s 2017 visit to Israel, calling the visit official and factual. However, it termed other assertions in the email “fabricated and baseless statements by a convicted person.”
Jeffrey Epstein, a New York-based financier with connections to prominent political and business leaders, was convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from a minor. He was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and later died by suicide in jail. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence.
The controversy is expected to intensify as Parliament continues its session, with the opposition pressing for further disclosures.
