Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday responded sharply to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after being named in recently released Epstein-related documents. Addressing the media, Puri clarified that his association with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein was brief, official in nature, and limited to a few meetings conducted as part of a delegation.

He stated that he exchanged only a single email with Epstein and that any interaction had no connection to the criminal accusations against Epstein. According to Puri, his main engagement during that period was with LinkedIn cofounder and investor Reid Hoffman, whom he had invited to India to explore opportunities related to the government’s “Make in India” initiative.

Puri further said that Epstein had once criticized him and implied there was no meaningful alignment between them. He urged Rahul Gandhi to review the actual correspondence rather than making public accusations.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier referred to the Epstein Files while speaking outside Parliament, mentioning Puri and industrialist Anil Ambani. The remarks followed the recent release of millions of documents by the US Department of Justice under new transparency legislation aimed at shedding light on Epstein’s network and activities.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had also dismissed references in the files linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 Israel visit, calling them baseless and contemptible.

The latest disclosure from US authorities reportedly includes millions of pages, videos, and images tied to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The release stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates broader public access to records related to Epstein’s criminal network.

Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, in a death officially ruled a suicide.