New Delhi, February 11 Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for making "innuendo" against him, asserting that he had met Jeffrey 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.
Puri's clarification came after Gandhi claimed that the Union Minister's name had also appeared in the 'Epstein Files' released in the US.
Addressing a press conference here, 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 a part of the IPI. I was the Secretary General of the Independent Commission (ICM) on Multilateralism, which was set up within the IPI as a project."
"My boss at the IPI, Terje Rod-Larsen, was the person who knew this particular infamous person, Mr. Epstein, and it was as part of a delegation of the IPI or the ICM that I met Mr. Epstein on a few occasions, three or four at most," he added.
Puri stated that the ICM was dealing with international and thematic issues, and Epstein was not involved.
He said that Epstein was alleged to have committed several criminal offences, and there were accusations that he had an island where he would take people to indulge in "their sexual fantasies."
"There are victims of this. These victims have filed cases against those in authority," he asserted, adding that his interactions with Epstein had "nothing to do with this."
Puri said he had informed Gandhi about this by sending him a "note" last year.
"On Samvidhan Divas on November 26 last year, I was 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," Puri said.
"I was also amused... He said, 'Your name is in interesting places.' I asked him if he wanted to know the facts. I asked him if he wanted a note on it. So I sent him a note," the Minister added.
Puri accused Gandhi of "making a fool of himself" and told the reporters, "This innuendo and smear campaign has given me the opportunity and privilege to speak to you and present the facts."
Puri also said that he had sent an email 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 excerpts from his email, the Minister said that he had also suggested Hoffman to visit India to see the changes happening.
"It's a long email. Anyone who wants a copy, it's available on the internet, the DOJ... This is the only substantive email. There are one or two others. I will give them to you," he said.
Puri cited another email between Larsen and Jeffrey Epstein and said, "Epstein here refers to me as two-faced... I certainly wasn't good in their value system because they were dealing in something else."
"Rahul should have read it," he added.
