DoJ’s Puri-Epstein Photo Raises Questions During Rubio’s India Visit

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – A photograph showing Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri seated across a table from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has drawn notice from the public and opposition leaders in India, with the image circulating even as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Jamnagar and India-US trade negotiations remain in focus.

The photograph, released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files, began circulating on social media on October 20. It shows Puri, dressed in a suit, sitting opposite Epstein, who appears to be wearing a black turtleneck. Both are seated in animal-print armchairs, with papers and other items on the table between them. No one else is visible in the frame.

The image prompted questions about Puri’s earlier account that he had met Epstein as part of delegations connected to the International Peace Institute (IPI), where Puri previously worked.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on October 21 linked the photograph’s release to Rubio’s visit, taking a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“Rubio goes to Mumbai. The US DOJ releases a picture of Epstein and Puri. Dear BJP and RSS workers, which anti-national traitor do you think they’re blackmailing?” Gandhi wrote on X.

Although Gandhi did not explicitly mention the India-US trade deal, his post added to questions raised by other opposition leaders about whether the timing of the disclosures was connected to developments in bilateral negotiations.

At a press conference early this year, Puri said he had met Epstein “three or maximum four” times over eight years, from his arrival at India’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York in 2009 until he became a minister in 2017. Puri described the encounters as professional and  connected to his work.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra questioned Puri’s explanation after the photographs emerged. “Epstein Paaji told us he only met Epstein as part of a delegation 3-4 times. Guess the other delegates were hiding under the table in these 2 photos, Paaji,” Moitra wrote on X.

Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar leader Anish Gawande questioned whether the photo release was connected to the India-US trade negotiations. He cited Puri’s reported lack of renomination to the Rajya Sabha, uncertainty over his ministerial position ahead of a possible Cabinet reshuffle, and the timing of the photographs after Puri’s earlier account of his meetings with Epstein.

Gawande also pointed to the IPI’s donors, which he said included the Jeffrey Epstein Foundation and George Soros, and referenced recent statements about the trade negotiations, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s earlier description of the deal as “dead in the water” and US President Donald Trump’s subsequent announcement of a breakthrough.

“Is there a link between the photos released of Jeffrey Epstein and the India-US Trade Deal?” Gawande asked on X. (with IANS)