Opposition questions Hardeep Puri-Epstein ‘private meetings’ after photos emerge

New Delhi: Several Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), NCP(SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday attacked Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and also the government over fresh photographs which have emerged showing the Minister with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Opposition leaders shared photographs of Puri and Epstein, and demanded to know the nature of the meeting between the two of them.

Opposition leaders question ‘private meeting’

The Opposition leaders targeted Puri over his earlier statements where he had claimed that he met Epstein as a part of a ‘delegation’. However, the photographs that have emerged now, showed him in a one-on-one meeting with the American.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, questioned Puri’s earlier claims saying that he had never met Epstein in any one-on-one meeting. She took to social media platform, ‘X’ and said, “Didn’t Hardeep Puri say he had never met Epstein one-on-one? What kind of people does Modi like and chooses to have around him?Do you need any more proof – why RSS and the right-wing can never ever respect and treat women as equals?”

Didn’t Hardeep Puri say he had never met Epstein one-on-one?

What kind of people does Modi like and chooses to have around him?

Do you need any more proof – why RSS and the right-wing can never ever respect and treat women as equals?

📸 US Dept of Justice https://t.co/KLWlq9I9C0

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) October 20, 2026

Trinamool Congress MP, Mahua Moitra also took a jab at Puri. She shared a statement made by him earlier this year, where he had claimed that he met Epstein 3-4 times, as part of a delegation.

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. https://t.co/kOy0RwIbkL

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 20, 2026

Moitra said, “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”, sharing the photos.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande, called for an explanation from Puri regarding this meeting. He said that Puri must explain why exactly he met Epstein and if it was even in capacity as a “diplomat” what was the need and reason behind meeting such a criminal.

Gawande described the photographs as “damning”. He said, “Former Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri must answer as to why he was meeting Jeffrey Epstein, even in an Ambassadorial capacity. I am given to understand that the Government of India will try and justify this engagement as “diplomatic necessity.”

He said that the terms and content of the discussion between Puri and Epstein must be made public. Urging Puri to clarify his stance on the meeting, he said that he hoped that the Union Minister was not aware about the horrors of Epstein Island, at the time he attended the meeting.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut shared the photograph on his social media handle ‘X’. He questioned the purpose of the meeting.

Raut directly addressed PM Narendra Modi in his post. He said, “Modiji, one minister Hardeep Puri is meeting Jeffrey Epstein alone? Whose message is he carrying in the meeting? This is the beginning, watch ahead to see what’s about to happen? RSS regime change will happen! Jai Hind!”

The photographs were reportedly released by the US State Department. These come at a time when US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio is in India. Rawat asked whether Puri was carrying some message from PM Modi during this meeting.

Apart from the Opposition figures, Cockroach Janata Party founder, Abhijeet Dipke also waded into the debate. He shared the photograph on his ‘X’ handle and said in the caption, “Didn’t Puri claim that he never had a personal meeting with Epstein?”

Didn’t Puri claim that he never had a personal meeting with Epstein?

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 21, 2026

Puri’s earlier explanation on meeting Epstein

Meanwhile, in February Puri had himself acknowledged meeting Epstein. But he said that he had met Epstein “three or maximum four” times, as part of a delegation of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism. This was a project of the International Peace Institute.

Puri said that the meeting happened after he resigned as India’s Ambassador to the United Nations, and before he joined the Union Cabinet in 2017. He said that these engagements were purely professional and not related to criminal allegations against the disgraced financer.