Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. File | Photo credit: ANI
The Congress on Thursday (February 12, 2026) demanded the resignation of Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri after his name appeared in the Epstein files.
Responding to Mr Puri’s explanation that he had been in contact with the late Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who was accused of serious sex offences, as part of his “professional exchanges”, Congress leader Pawan Khera asked why he had organized a visit for LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman when there was a full-fledged Indian embassy.
“Hardeep Puri was a retired diplomat at the time. In what capacity did he organize Hoffman’s visit to India?” Mr. Khera asked in a video he posted on his X handle.
“Was the Indian embassy closed? Wasn’t there an Indian ambassador? Wasn’t External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj? Why did Narendra Modi need the services of Hardeep Puri? And why did Narendra Modi need Epstein to visit Reid Hoffman?” the Congress chief added.
The Congress party has stepped up its attack on the Union Petroleum Minister after his name appeared in some emails related to the Epstein files.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi raised the issue both inside and outside Parliament, though his exact comments have been redacted from the Lok Sabha records.
While the ruling alliance said it would file a privilege motion against Mr Gandhi for making “baseless allegations” against Mr Puri, the oil minister defended his mail exchanges with Epstein as “professional”.
“What happens in New York doesn’t stay in New York,” Mr Khera said in X, adding: “@HardeepSPuri must resign now!”
Published – 12 Feb 2026 22:46 IST