hardeep singh puri-Epstein Files: New Photo Sparks Political Row as Rahul Gandhi Asks, “Who Is America Blackmailing?”

New Delhi: A photograph showing Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri with deceased US financier Jeffrey Epstein has triggered a fresh political controversy in India. The photograph is linked to the Epstein Files released by the US Department of Justice, and Congress and opposition leaders have questioned Puri’s earlier statements about his meetings with Epstein. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has also raised questions about the timing of the photograph and its connection with India-US relations.

The central issue is the context in which Hardeep Singh Puri described his meetings with Epstein in February 2026. Puri had said that his contact with Epstein took place in connection with the International Peace Institute, or IPI, and a delegation associated with it. In the newly surfaced photograph, the two men appear to be seated across a table. Puri’s office has said that the image alone cannot establish whether other people were present before or after the meeting. The office has described the meetings as professional.

What is the controversy over the Hardeep Singh Puri and Epstein Files photograph?

According to a report by The Wire, a photograph included in the Epstein Files released by the US Department of Justice drew attention on social media. The image shows Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Jeffrey Epstein seated across a table. The report also referred to several similar photographs of the same meeting.

The appearance of the photograph led to questions about the circumstances in which the meeting took place and whether anyone else was present. Puri’s office told The Wire that the minister did not remember which meeting the photograph showed or whether other people were present at that time. That response has become an important part of the political debate because the complete context of the image has not been established in the material described in the report.

Puri’s office also said that, in February, Puri had not claimed that he had never met Epstein alone. The office said his explanation was that he had met Epstein as part of a delegation led by his then senior and the head of IPI, Terje Rød-Larsen. The distinction matters because Puri’s earlier statement concerned the professional and institutional context of the meetings, while the new photograph has prompted questions about the specific circumstances of one meeting.

At the same time, the photograph itself does not establish that any criminal activity took place. The fact that two people appear together in a picture is not, by itself, proof that either person was involved in a crime. The present dispute therefore concerns the context of Puri’s contact with Epstein and the consistency of the explanations given about those contacts, rather than proof of criminal involvement based on the image alone.

What did Hardeep Puri say earlier?

At a press conference in February 2026, Puri said that he had met Epstein approximately three times, or at most four times, between 2009 and 2017. During that period, he was associated with India’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations and later worked with IPI. The number and timing of those meetings are now being discussed again after the photograph was reported as part of the Epstein Files.

According to Puri, his then senior at IPI, Terje Rød-Larsen, knew Epstein, and his initial meeting with Epstein came through that network. Puri had also said that the purpose of his contact was connected with possibilities for investment in India’s economy and digital sector. His explanation placed the contact within professional discussions involving international networks, rather than presenting it as a personal association.

An earlier report by The Wire had referred to email exchanges between Puri and Epstein from 2014 to 2017, as well as several scheduled meetings at Epstein’s residence in New York. The new photograph has brought renewed attention to the context of those earlier contacts. The report about the emails and meetings has been cited by political leaders while asking for further information about the nature, purpose and participants of the meetings.

Puri’s office has said that the photographs are consistent with the professional context previously described by him. It has also said that the emails show conversations about possibilities for investment in India’s economy and digital sector. The office further stated that Puri had never visited Epstein’s island. These statements form the basis of Puri’s explanation of the relationship and have been presented as a response to questions raised after the photograph appeared.

Why did Rahul Gandhi ask, “Who is America blackmailing?”

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, questioned the timing of the photograph’s release on 21 October 2026. While referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Mumbai and the photograph being made public by the US Department of Justice, Gandhi asked whether America was blackmailing someone. His question was expressed as a political allegation about the timing and possible significance of the disclosure.

The words “Who is America blackmailing?” have become a prominent part of the political response to the photograph. However, the publicly available developments described in the source material do not establish that the release of the photograph was intended to blackmail anyone. Gandhi’s comment and the facts that have been reported about the photograph need to be treated separately. A political question about motive is not proof that such a motive existed.

Congress leaders have also sought explanations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal questioned the government’s silence and asked whether the controversy had any connection with the India-US trade agreement. These questions represent the opposition’s political response to the issue. They do not, by themselves, establish a connection between the photograph and any trade agreement.

The statements made by political leaders and any official response from the government must therefore be considered separately. An allegation by a political leader cannot be treated as an established fact without supporting evidence. The question of why the photograph was released at that time, and whether its release had any wider political significance, remains part of the debate rather than a conclusion established by the available material.

What questions has Congress raised about hardeep puri?

Congress leaders have said that the new photograph raises questions about Puri’s earlier explanation. The party has sought detailed information about the number of meetings, their purpose and whether other people were present. The questions focus on clarifying the full setting of the contacts rather than treating the photograph alone as proof of wrongdoing.

Leaders associated with the Congress media department have also referred to the email exchanges and the number of alleged meetings. Claims made by the party about the email exchanges and the number of meetings require independent verification. The existence of a photograph, an email exchange or a contact record does not by itself establish the meaning of the contact or prove criminal conduct.

Congress has asked the following questions: Under what circumstances did Puri meet Epstein? What was the purpose and subject of the meetings? Were other people present at those meetings? Which date and which meeting does the photograph show? What official explanation will the government provide on the controversy? These questions have been raised as demands for clarification about the record and its context.

Answering them would require the complete context of the photograph, the relevant emails and other available documents. The date of the image and the circumstances surrounding the meeting would be particularly important in comparing the photograph with the account previously provided by Puri’s office. Until that material is examined, the image can show only that the two men appear together at a table, not the full circumstances of the interaction.

What are the epstein files and why are they controversial in India?

The term Epstein Files refers collectively to documents, emails, photographs and other records made public in connection with Jeffrey Epstein’s cases and contacts. Epstein was a US financier known for serious crimes involving the sexual abuse and sex trafficking of minors. The records associated with him have attracted attention because they contain different kinds of material, including names, photographs and communications.

The inclusion of a person’s name, photograph or contact details in these files does not, on its own, prove that the person was involved in a crime. Each record needs to be understood in relation to its context, date, source and other available evidence. A photograph can document that people appeared together, while an email can document communication, but neither necessarily establishes the purpose of a meeting or the conduct of the people involved.

The controversy involving hardeep puri is focused on the nature of his meetings with Epstein and on the explanation he gave earlier about those contacts. The available reports described in the source material have not presented evidence, based on this photograph, that Puri was involved in Epstein’s crimes. That distinction is central to reporting the issue accurately: the political questions concern disclosure, context and explanation, while criminal involvement would require evidence beyond the existence of a photograph or contact record.

What happens next?

Three issues are likely to remain important in the controversy: confirmation of the photograph’s date and the full circumstances surrounding it, a detailed explanation from Puri’s office, and the government’s response to the questions raised by the opposition. The relationship between the photograph, the earlier emails and the meetings described in the reports will depend on the documents and context that can be verified.

For now, the photograph has intensified the political debate over Hardeep Singh Puri’s earlier account of his contact with Epstein. Puri’s office has maintained that the meetings were professional, linked to IPI and related to discussions about investment possibilities in India’s economy and digital sector. It has also stated that Puri never visited Epstein’s island.

The photograph’s release, Rahul Gandhi’s question about whether America was blackmailing someone, and Congress’s demand for explanations have all added to the dispute. But appearing together in a photograph and being involved in a crime are separate matters. Any conclusion about the meeting must be based on verified documents, the complete circumstances of the image and the full context of the reported contacts.