Union Minister Hardeep Puri says Rahul Gandhi indulging in ‘smear campaign’ against him, acknowledges Epstein meetings

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “passing innuendo” against him, asserting that he had met Jeffery Epstein on a “few occasions” but his interactions with him had nothing to do with the crimes the convicted American sex offender was involved in.

Mr. Puri’s clarification came after Mr. Gandhi claimed that the Union minister’s name has also figured in ‘Epstein Files’ released in the U.S.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Mr. Puri said, “After I resigned as India’s ambassador to the UN, I was invited to join the International Peace Institute (IPI) a few months later. I was not part of the IPI per se. I was secretary general of the Independent Commission (ICM) on Multilateralism, set up in the IPI as a project.”

“My boss in the IPI, Terje Rod-Larsen, was the person who knew this particular infamous person Mr. Epstein and it is as part of a delegation of the IPI or the ICM that I met Mr. Epstein on a few occasions, three or maximum four,” he added.

Mr. Puri said the ICM was dealing with international and thematic issues and Epstein was not part of it.

He said Epstein was alleged to have committed several criminal offences and there were charges that he had an island where he used to take people to indulge in “their sexual fantasies”.

“There are victims of this. These victims have brought cases against the people in authority,” he said asserting that his interactions with Epstein had “nothing to do with this”.

Mr. Puri said that he had apprised Rahul Gandhi about this by sending him a “note” last year.

BJP, Congress spar after Jeffrey Epstein mails refer to invitation to Hardeep Puri

“On the Samvidhan Divas on November 26 last year, I was there at the central hall of the old Parliament building. After the event (organised to mark Samvidhan Divas) concluded, he (Rahul Gandhi) came up to me and winked at me in his style,” Mr. Puri said

“I was also amused… He said ‘your name is in interesting places’. I asked him do you want to know what the facts are? Do you want a note on it? So I sent him a note,” the minister added.

Mr. Puri accused Mr. Gandhi of indulging in “buffoonery” now and told the reporters, “This innuendo and smear campaign has given me a privilege and the opportunity to talk to you and place the facts before you.”

Mr. Puri also said he had sent an e-mail to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman with a copy to Epstein on November 13, 2014, conveying his view that India presents a “terrific opportunity” for internet-based economic activity.

Reading out the excerpts of his email, the minister said that he also suggested Mr. Hoffman to visit to India to see the changes happening.

“It’s a long e-mail. Anybody wants its copy, it’s available on the internet, the DOJ…This is the only substantive e-mail. There are one or two also. I will give you,” he said.

Mr. Puri cited another e-mail between Mr. Larsen and Jeffrey Epstein and said, “Epstein here refers to me as two-faced… I was certainly not good in their value system because they were dealing in something else.” “Rahul should have read it,” he added.