New Delhi, February 13 The Congress on Friday demanded that Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri resign, citing his name's appearance in the "Epstein files" released in the United States and questioning who he was interacting with on behalf of – Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of crimes against children.
Addressing a press conference here, Pawan Khera, head of the Congress's media and publicity department, questioned under what authority Puri was meeting Epstein and alleged that the suspicion points towards only one direction.
"In 2017, Hardeep Puri was the president and chairman of the Governing Council of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a Delhi-based think tank funded by the Indian government. Why was a representative of the Indian government emailing Epstein in 2017? Why was he communicating with Epstein – a convicted sex offender and criminal?" Khera asked.
Even earlier, between 2014 and 2016, Khera questioned under whose authority and instructions Puri was interacting with Epstein.
"Even more disturbing, Hardeep Puri spoke about Digital India seven months before the program was officially announced in India. Why was Digital India being discussed with Epstein at all? On whose behalf?" he asked.
However, Puri has denied the charges leveled against him by the opposition party.
Earlier in the day, Congress MPs held a protest in the Parliament complex, demanding Puri's resignation.
Several Congress MPs lined up outside the Parliament building. They raised slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and demanded answers from him.
They also held a banner with pictures of Puri and Epstein.
Puri had slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday for "passing innuendo" against him, asserting that he had met 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.
