'US weaponised Epstein files to complete trade deal'; LoP Rahul Gandhi slams Modi govt, Union Minister Hardeep Puri

NEW DELHI: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi alleged in the Lok Sabha that India was forced to sign a trade deal with the US following the Prime Minister’s name getting mentioned in the Epstein files. The leader of the opposition also pointed to Union Minister Hardeep Puri’s mention in the egregious files. However, Hardeep Puri responded that the discussions he held with Epstein were in his capacity as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Rahul, who complied with the central government's directive not to mention the Army Chief's book, attacked the government and the Prime Minister in the name of the US deal. He also mentioned the names of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and industrialist Anil Ambani in the Epstein file.

Minister Hardeep Puri held a press conference and clarified that his name was not mentioned in connection with any criminal cases. The Epstein files contain information about three or four meetings between Puri and Epstein between May 2009, when he was India's ambassador to the United Nations, and when he became a minister in 2017. The interactions were purely professional. Puri called Rahul Gandhi's allegations "baseless" and said it was no surprise Rahul was coming up with yet another baseless allegation, which he termed as 'elements of buffonery'.