New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- The Congress on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the government over a purported photograph of Union minister Hardeep Puri with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alleging that "Modi-Shah's complete silence" points to their "criminal indifference" towards the issue.
Since earlier this year, the Congress has been demanding Puri's resignation on grounds that his name figures in the "Epstein files" released in the United States. Puri has, in the past, denied the charges levelled at him by the Opposition party. Several leaders and X users shared an undated photograph, purportedly showing Puri with the late American sex offender. The photograph was reportedly released by the US Department of Justice.
Sharing the picture in which Puri is purportedly seen sitting across the table from Epstein, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said, "Modi did nothing despite knowing fully well about Hardeep Puri's close ties with known international pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Truly disgusted by the latest revelations proving that Puri met Epstein in the same rooms where Epstein carried out his heinous crimes."
"(PM Narendra)Modi-(Home minister Amit) Shah's complete silence and inaction on this only points to their criminal indifference to such allegations against their own Cabinet minister," Venugopal said.
"What can women expect from a government that shields and nurtures a man with close ties to the worst sexual predator known to human civilisation," he said.
"There is also an urgent need for PM Modi to speak up on this issue, because US President Donald Trump has also declared that India and US are extremely close to signing a trade deal. Do these revelations have any bearings on the final contours of the deal?" Venugopal said.
Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera lashed out at the government over the issue, saying Puri's "solo photograph" with Epstein has rather "inconveniently bulldozed" his own defence that he met the notorious sex trafficker only as part of a delegation.
"Puri claims 1-2 meetings and 3-4 emails over eight years. Quite a neat way to frame it. But those of us who went through the files diligently when they first surfaced have known all along that the story was far more extensive than he would have us believe. As per the Epstein Files on the US DoJ website, in the timeframe of only 3 years (2014-17), at least 62 emails back and forth have been shared between Epstein and Hardeep," Khera said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.