'Thoda Sa Padh Likh Lo': Hardeep Singh Puri Blasts Rahul Gandhi, Clarifies Epstein Interaction, Says 'Should Read The Emails'

New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri lashed out at Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over linking his name to convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying that he had only met the latter on a few occasions and as part of a delegation. He also mentioned that he had only exchanged one email with him.

"Just three-four references (to his name) out of three million emails…I met Epstein on a few occasions as part of a delegation (and) exchanged just one email. Our interactions had nothing to do..," Puri said.

"I had no interest in Epstein's activities. For them, I was not the 'right person'," he said, adding, "Epstein called me two-faced. Rahul should read the emails."

Puri said that his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein "had nothing to do with the charges against him…"

On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's speech in the House, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asked him to be a bit aware of all the developments, saying “Thoda sa padh likh lo.”

“We have a youth leader who placed a few things before the Parliament today. He has a habit of making baseless allegations. There are two kinds of leaders: those who assume responsibility in the political system and dedicate their lives to social service, transforming the country, and those who devote their lives and ensure that, during their lifetime, the country moves from the 10th-largest economy to the 3rd-largest,” he said in a press conference on Wednesday. 

"And then there are other leaders who occasionally come to the country, and when they come to the Parliament, they walk out of the House when someone gives them a substantive reply and doesn't listen to them. He left after his own speech today," he added.

Coming clean on his links to Epstein, which Rahul Gandhi brought up in Parliament, Puri called the LoP a ‘Yuva Neta’ and said, "The Epstein Files are about charges that he had an island where he used to take people to indulge their sexual fantasies, charges of paedophilia, there are victims of this. Those victims have brought cases against people in authority. My interaction had nothing to do with that."

“In the month of November 2014, I was a private citizen. Somebody says they want to look at India, we have a meeting with Reid Hoffman, who is the Founder of LinkedIn, on the West Coast of the United States. I start my email by saying I am now convinced more than ever that India today presents a terrific opportunity and that Reid Hoffman should visit India to see the changes which are coming. Digital India, Make in India - I am talking about this in November 2014. If my memory serves me right, this project started in 2015. So, here I was a farsighted private citizen who knows what kind of work the Modi government is going to do. So, this is what they call 'Hardeep Puri's name appears in Epstein Files,” Puri shared the details in the presser.

Answering Congress leader Supriya Shrinate's questions on his links with Epstein, Puri said that all the facts are in public domain. "Three million emails have been released. I was in New York for 8 years, from May 2009, when I joined as India's Ambassador to the UN. In 2017, I became Minister. There are references to possibly three or four meetings in 8 years,” he said.

"After I retired as India's Ambassador to the UN, a few months later, I was invited to join the International Peace Institute.  I was not part of the IPI per se...As part of the delegation of the IPI or the ICM, I met Mr Epstein on a few occasions. The ICM was dealing with international issues, and Mr Epstein was not part of it,” Puri said detailing out when he met the disgraced financier.

Here's What Rahul Gandhi Said

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the government of compromising national interests and asked whether it was “not ashamed of selling India.” He said that the BJP government had effectively “sold Bharat Mata.”

"You yourself admit that we are facing a global storm -- that the era of one superpower is over, that geopolitical conflicts are intensifying, and that energy and finance are being weaponised. Yet, despite acknowledging this reality, you have allowed the United States to weaponise energy and financial systems in ways that impact us. When America says we cannot buy oil from a particular country, it effectively means our energy security is being dictated externally -- that energy itself is being weaponised against us. Are you not ashamed of this? I am saying you have compromised India's interests. Have you no shame in what you are doing? It is as though you have sold 'Bharat Mata'," Rahul Gandhi said.

In another attack on PM Modi, Gandhi added that he did not believe the Prime Minister would "sell India" under normal circumstances. He claimed that there was visible fear in the Prime Minister's eyes and referred to "Epstein files" being locked up, suggesting undisclosed pressures at play.

"The interesting thing is that I know that the Prime Minister would not sell India under normal circumstances. You know why he sold India? Because they are choking him. They have got a grip on his neck... We can see fear in the eyes of the Prime Minister. There are two things- first, Epstein. 3 million files are still locked up," said Rahul Gandhi.

ALSO READ: 'Don't Behave Like Children...': Kiren Rijiju Blasts Rahul Gandhi For ‘Misleading’ House On US-India Trade Deal