New Delhi: Union minister for petroleum and natural gas in the Modi government, Hardeep Singh Puri is faced with renewed calls for his resignation from the opposition after his email exchanges with Jefrrey Epstein made their way to parliament, with leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi raising the matter during his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (February 11).While Gandhi’s allegation was made in parliament, Puri the same day chose to speak outside the House and addressed a press conference at the party office, hitting out at the leader of the opposition, terming it “buffoonery”. On Thursday (February 12), Puri gave a slew of television interviews to big media in which he denied any wrongdoing while admitting to having met Epstein.A search on the US department of justice website, Epstein Library, throws up 46 results for “Hardeep Puri”, 430 results for “Hardeep” and 163 results for “Hardeep Singh Puri”.At his press conference, Puri even cracked a joke referring to an interaction with a fellow MP who had said that “many of these people are jealous” to which Puri said “if something had happened then I would speak. But I remained stuck with this.”“Ek hamari, ek hamari, ek hamari member of parliament hai, (laughs) lady member, she took me aside, she said many of these people are very jealous, maine kaha yaar yaar, kuch hua hota to main baat karata, main to issi pe rah gaya, and after that, anyway, on a serious note…” (“There is an MP, a lady MP, she took me aside, she said many of these people are very jealous, I said, yaar, if something had happened then I would speak. But I remained stuck with this.)”While the email exchanges show Puri making a mention of Epstein’s “exotic island” where the Union minister is asking him to “have fun”, in his interviews, Puri has dismissed this mention as an expression that he uses and should not be read meaning into. Puri has claimed that he only met Epstein “three or four times in eight years”, while emphasising that he was pushing for a meeting with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, though email exchanges also show Puri agreeing to assist in getting an Indian visa “on a priority basis” for an Epstein aide.Email exchanges also show Puri agreeing to assist in getting an Indian visa “on a priority basis” for an Epstein aide. Photo: Screenshot from www.justice.govPuri has defended this in his interviews and said he is approached by many people for visas, and he put them in touch with two others who asked them to apply online and said, “Is this showing a favour?” Puri has further emphasised in his interviews that he was merely pushing the India story, and had come out of this “smelling of roses”.A career diplomat, Puri joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in January 2014 and entered prime minister Narendra Modi’s government as a minister in September 2017.The email exchanges between Puri and Epstein were part of those that were made public by the US Justice Department on January 30 along with thousands of files linked to Epstein, the convicted American sex offender. The Wire has earlier reported that the exchanges span nearly three years, from June 2014 to June 2017 and also reveal at least three confirmed meetings at Epstein’s New York residence and ongoing efforts by Epstein to connect Puri with Silicon Valley investors. Puri had also acknowledged meeting Epstein to The Wire and said the encounters were limited, work-related and that he was not aware of Epstein’s criminal background during the period of their meetings.Epstein was already a convicted and registered sex offender, having pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges in Florida of soliciting prostitution from a minor under a controversial plea agreement. He continued to function as a power broker for the rich and famous in the US – most of whom have now expressed regrets for having associated with him. The full extent of the financier’s criminality emerged around 2018. The revelations in the Epstein files made public by the DoJ have led to a slew of high profile resignations across Europe, while US President Donald Trump is also facing increasing criticism.The Wire takes a look at Puri’s many explanations in his press conference and interviews to the mentions found in the email exchanges‘Three or four meetings’On Wednesday, Gandhi during his budget speech, faced disruptions from the Treasury benches when he mentioned Puri and businessman Anil Ambani, both of whom have surfaced in the email exchanges in the Epstein files.“There is a businessman called Anil Ambani, I want to ask the question is why is he not in jail. The reason he is not in jail is because his name is in the Epstein files. That is why he is not in jail. I would also like to ask Mr Hardeep Puri who introduced him to Epstein? I know who introduced him. And Mr Hardeep Puri knows who introduced him,” said Gandhi.Puri the same day addressed a press conference in which he admitted to having met Epstein “three or four times” as a private citizen and thanked Gandhi for “ this kind of buffoonery” that had allowed him to share the information with the public.“During the session he (Gandhi) took my name due to some developments elsewhere in the Epstein files so I want to share some information,” he said.Puri said that during the Sanvidhan Diwas celebration last November, Gandhi had “winked at him” and said “name is in interesting places” and that he had met Epstein “three or maximum four” times in eight years.“Three million emails have been released. In these 3 million emails I am in New York for 8 years. We are talking about May 2009 when I joined as India’s ambassador to the UN till I became minister in 2017. There are references to possibly three or four meetings in eight years. Because he (Gandhi) winked at me, I sent him a note and said that after I resigned as UN ambassador I joined the International Peace Institute (IPI). I was not part of the IPI per se, I was secretary general of something called the Independent Commission on Multilateralism,” he said.“My boss in the IPI, Mr Terje Rod-Larsen, was a person who knew this particular infamous person, Mr Epstein, and it is as part of a delegation of the IPI or the ICM that I met Mr Epstein on a few occasions – three or maximum four,” he said.Puri said that in 8 years there were “two references or one email” because his contacts had introduced him to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.“The Epstein Files, the yuva neta should know was about wrongdoing, criminal offences. They are about charges about he had an island where he used to take people to indulge their sexual fantasies and there are victims of this.”Puri then read out his email on November 13, 2014 which is available on the DoJ website, where he has written about India’s growing economy, PM Modi’s plan to increase rural internet coverage, Make in India campaign.“I was a far sighted private citizen who knows the kind of work the Modi government will do. This is what they call Hardeep Puri’s name appears in Epstein files,” he said.While globally the fallout of the revelations of the Epstein files has seen high profile resignations, Puri said that “thanks to this kind of buffoonery” his name will be known.“I want to thank them that they took my name. There are many people in the world who would not have known of me, but now they do, thanks to this kind of buffoonery I am getting a chance to talk to you. These are the hard facts,” he said.The Wire has reported that the email exchanges apparently began in June 2014, when Epstein wrote to Puri about Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, being ready to visit India. On September 24, 2014, Epstein sent an introductory email to Hoffman. The introduction led to a flurry of messages as Hoffman and Puri arranged to meet in Silicon Valley. Following their meeting, Puri sent a detailed email on November 13, 2014, to both Epstein and Hoffman, outlining investment opportunities in India’s growing internet sector. The message referenced his October 3 discussions with Hoffman in Silicon Valley and noted Epstein’s view that Hoffman should visit India “sooner rather than later.”Help with visa for Epstein aideWhile Puri said in his press conference that he was only seeking to meet Hoffman, an email exchange dated October 24, 2014 from Epstein asks Puri to help arrange a visa for his assistant.“hardeep, i need a favor, my asst needs a quick visa so she can attend a wedding in india, is there someone at the consulate she can talk to?” Epstein wrote.In response, Puri on the same thread loops in Ambassador Parmod Bajaj and asks him to arrange the visa on “a priority basis.”“Jeffrey, Ambassador Bajaj who now works with me will organise this. Parmod ,Sanjeev in New York also copied here in case you want to request him,” the email from Puri said.When asked about the exchange at his press conference, Puri said that he was approached for visas from various people and he had simply connected Epstein to someone else, who then asked them to apply online.Email exchangePuri’s explanationOctober 24, 2014:Epstein: hardeep, i need a favor, my asst needs a quick visa so she can attend a wedding in india, is there someone at the consulate she can talk to?Puri: Parmod, grateful if you could have this done on a priority basis. Will request applicant to get in touch with you directly. Jeffrey, Ambassador Bajaj who now works with me will organise this. Parmod, Sanjeev in New York also copied here in case you want to request him.Puri press conference February 11, 2026:“I was a Grade I Ambassador for many years—14 years in total. Wherever I have served, people often approach me regarding visa matters,” he said.“I also spent seven years in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. People call me regarding American visas and other such requests. What response did I give? I passed it on to one of my colleagues who passed it on to a person who said apply online. Is this showing a favour?”“I was a Grade I Ambassador for many years –14 years in total. Wherever I have served, people often approach me regarding visa matters,” he said.“I also spent seven years in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. People call me regarding American visas and other such requests. What response did I give? I passed it on to one of my colleagues who passed it on to a person who said apply online. Is this showing a favour?”Email exchanges also show Puri asking Epstein for a coffee on March 25, 2015, that he is in India and will be back on April 10. An exchange from December 25, 2015 titled ‘Season’s Greetings’ from Puri says: “Let me know when you are in town and have time for a coffee?”An email exchange between Epstein and Larsen on the same day shows the former saying “two-faced” while Larsen responding “Have you heard the saying: when you meet an Indian and a snake, kill t=e Indian first!”Puri only read out the December 25, 2015 email, where he is allegedly being called “two faced” but did not mention that he was asking Epstein to meet for coffee earlier that year.Puri referred to an email exchange on December 25, 2015 between Larson and Epstein.“This was on Christmas Day. On one side season’s greetings are being given and on the other hand he refers to me and says two faced. For their value system I was not the right man,” said Puri.Puri’s mention of Epstein’s ‘exotic island’Email exchanges on December 24, 2014 show Puri asking Epstein to let him know when he is back from his “exotic island.”“Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island,” he wrote and added that he wanted to stop by with books to “excite an interest in India.”Epstein then wrote back saying that he was “writing” to him and that he had spoken to Hoffman.“Indeed, telepathy. Give me a shout when you are back. And, have fun. Not that you require encouragement from others fir that,” Puri wrote back.Email exchangePuri’s explanationDecember 24, 2014:Puri: Indeed, telepathy. Give me a shout when you are back. And, have fun. Not that you require encouragement from others for that.Interview to NDTV on February 12:“I have no clue. He is not a personal acquaintance that I am going to ask him what kind of fun. Mine is not that kind of relationship. I have never been to that island, he has never been to my house etc. I am talking about Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn.”In an interview with NDTV, Puri however said that “exotic” was an expression he used often.“I have an expression I use with everybody. I have some well to do people, which exotic place are you in’. Don’t read any meaning into that. I am asking because there is a discussion to be held. That is a part of the context of the discussion,” he said.However, while speaking to The Wire on February 1, Puri’s explanation for the use of the word ‘exotic’ was slightly different. He had told The Wire that his use of the word “exotic” to describe the island may have been because someone from Epstein’s staff used that adjective to describe the place.Email exchangePuri’s explanationDecember 24, 2014:Puri: Dear Jeff. Season’s Greetings. Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island. I would like to come across for a chat, apart from giving you some books to excite an interest in India. Warmly, HardeepInterview to NDTV on February 12:“I have an expression I use with everybody. I have some well to do people, which exotic place are you in’. Don’t read any meaning into that. I am asking because there is a discussion to be held. That is a part of the context of the discussion.” Response to The Wire on February 1:Asked about this reference, Puri said he was merely referring to Epstein’s island, not indicating that he had visited it. He said his use of the word “exotic” to describe the island may have been because someone from Epstein’s staff used that adjective to describe the place.“By that time I knew, 2014-15 it means what. Listen, the Congress is capable of anything. Mr Rahul Gandhi goes on trips to Vietnam,” said Puri.When asked what kind of fun he was referring to Puri said he was not his personal acquaintance.“I have no clue. He is not a personal acquaintance that I am going to ask him what kind of fun. Mine is not that kind of relationship. I have never been to that island, he has never been to my house etc. I am talking about Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn.”When asked if he knew what was going on at the island Puri said that those revelations came about in 2017 and “we had switched off from that”.‘Unease’While Puri has said that he was not aware of Epstein’s activities, he said in his television interviews that he had a sense of “unease” when he was taken to meet him.“In 2008 I was there I had no clue. In 2013 when I joined IPI, in the first meeting itself we had a sense of unease. The person who took us for the meeting, me and the chairman (of IPI) who is the former prime minister of Australia, he did not tell us where we were going. When I insisted he said Anna the driver will bring you there. I asked Anna where are you taking us, she gave me the address and I Googled the address. When I Googled the address I told my other colleague this doesn’t seem right we should not go there. He said we are going as a part of a delegation, what is the problem? So my sense of unease was there,” he said to NDTV.“In so far as how much was known, he served house arrest because the charge to which he pled guilty was seeking the services of a prostitute who was underage. I don’t know what the facts are. When I came on the scene, I had no clue who Epstein was it was only when I joined IPI when I heard about it I was uneasy. If you read the email it is an interaction with Reid Hoffman, who is a man on the respectability quotient and one of the most respectable people in the world. He was the founder of LinkedIn. The correspondence between me and Epstein is that ‘I hope you persuaded Reid to go to India.’ I told him what is all good about India. By the way this was October 2014. No connect after that,” he said.Puri then went on to again refer to the Epstein mail where he was called “two faced” and said that shows the “level of the relationship.”“And that shows you the level of the relationship. Eight years, three or four meetings and these two emails,” he said.‘Smelling of roses’In an interview with Republic, Puri said that there were “four meetings in eight years” with Epstein, and the email exchanges show that he was only pushing the India story and he is “smelling of roses.”“Even the strongest allegation is not saying part of some sex operation. Why were you in touch with him? I am 73 years old. I have been in touch with terrorists in Jaffna. I was sent to bring Prabhakaran to bring him to India. This is part of one’s profession. My context here is what that guy is associated with. My context is I am pushing the India story and I am smelling of roses on that,” he said.Email exchanges on December 24, 2014 show Puri asking Epstein to let him know when he is back from his “exotic island.” Photo: Screenshot from www.justice.govGlobal falloutPuri’s press conference and series of interviews with big media comes as the big media in India had thus far remained silent on the Epstein files.Globally, other than in the United States just yet, the Epstein files have caused a furore. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting to keep his post, his director of communications Tim Allan has resigned, as has Morgan McSweeney, his chief of staff over his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States last year. Mandelson also resigned from the Labour Party and the House of Lords earlier this month over his association with Epstein.The British monarchy too is facing scrutiny with calls for a police inquiry against Prince Andrew picking up steam.Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been charged with “gross corruption” over his ties with Epstein. Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler has turned in her resignation, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the head of DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators, has also stepped down, Brad Karp has stepped down as chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss while US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is also facing calls to resign.The silence from the Modi government after Puri said that he was only pushing the India story and had emerged “smelling of roses”, make the Modi government an outlier.