- Congress leadership condemns Modi for his links and demands answers.
- He cites Modi’s meetings with Trump and trip to Israel to claim connection.
- The government denies any advisory role or significant contact with Epstein.
Newly released files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have drawn attention after an email mentioning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared in the latest batch released by the US Department of Justice, prompting a harsh response from New Delhi.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that one of the emails, attributed to Epstein, refers to Modi’s state visit to Israel in 2017, the first by an Indian prime minister.
The message claims that Modi acted on Epstein’s advice during the trip, a suggestion Indian authorities have firmly rejected.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the only verifiable fact in the email is Modi’s official visit to Israel, and called the rest of the claims baseless and misleading.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the comments as musings of a convicted criminal and said there was no evidence of any significant contact or advisory role involving Modi and Epstein.
Despite the denial, opposition parties have cited the reference to pressure the government for an explanation.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, harshly criticized Prime Minister Modi, calling any alleged links to Epstein a matter of deep national shame.
Congress, in a recent statement, said Epstein wrote in an email that Modi took his advice before visiting Israel, claiming that Modi “danced and sang” there for the benefit of the US president.
The party said Modi visited Israel from July 4 to 6, 2017, and that Epstein’s email was written three days after the trip.
He added that Modi had met then-US President Donald Trump in June 2017, before the visit to Israel, claiming this showed a deep and long-standing connection between Modi and Epstein.
The opposition party said the issue is about national dignity and international credibility and that Modi must answer questions about what advice he took from Epstein and the meaning of the claims made in the email.
Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was jailed in 2008 for soliciting paid sex from a minor.
A new set of files released Friday related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contains documents referencing numerous high-profile figures.
President Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson are among some of the people named in the documents.
