A political storm erupted in Parliament on Friday (February 13, 2026) as Opposition MPs gathered outside the Makar Dwar in the Parliament House complex demanding the resignation of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

The protest followed remarks by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who questioned Puri’s alleged links to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein based on recently released files by the U.S. Department of Justice.

MPs from various Opposition parties held placards reading "Who's grip, who's choke" as they accused the government of shielding those named in the disclosures. The confrontation escalated after Gandhi, during his Budget speech on Wednesday (February 11, 2026), asserted that he had verified information connecting Puri and businessman Anil Ambani to 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,” The Hindu, quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying.

Addressing reporters, the Rae Bareli MP further questioned why Ambani, whose name reportedly appeared in the Epstein-related files, has not been jailed.

"I have said that I will authenticate the data I have. There are Department of Justice files on Epstein naming Hardeep Puri and Anil Ambani," Gandhi said.

He also alleged pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during negotiations over the India-U.S. nuclear deal and criticised the government’s handling of sensitive matters.

Responding swiftly, Puri dismissed the allegations as baseless and described Gandhi’s remarks as politically motivated.

“We have a youth leader (Rahul Gandhi) 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,” Puri said, The Hindu reported.

Mocking Gandhi further, he added, “What Rahul Gandhi does has a lot of entertainment value! On one hand, you have leaders who dedicate their lives to transforming the country and work around the clock, and then you have elements of buffoonery.”

At a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Puri acknowledged having met Epstein but maintained that the interactions were limited and official in nature.

“These facts are known in the public domain. Three million emails have been released. I was in New York for eight years, from May 2009, when I was appointed India's Ambassador to the UN. In 2017, I became Minister. There are references to possibly three or four meetings in eight years. Any contact I had with him has no connection to the serious allegations of sexual abuse filed by victims,” he claimed.

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.

Referring to email exchanges that included references to LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Puri argued that his correspondence centered on promoting India’s growth story.

“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.”

Reading from an email dated November 13, 2014, he added: “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.”

On visa assistance sought by Epstein for an aide, Puri said he merely forwarded the request through official channels.

“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?”

Addressing emails in which he referenced Epstein’s “exotic island,” Puri told NDTV that the phrase was casual.

“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.

Speaking to The Wire, Puri said, “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.”

He added that he had felt a “sense of unease” during early meetings.

“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.

Puri further remarked in a television interview given to Republic, “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.”

While Puri maintained that his limited interactions were work-related and that he had “smelling of roses,” the episode has intensified political sparring in India even as the global fallout from the Epstein disclosures continues.

High-profile resignations have been reported abroad, but the Modi government has so far stood by its minister amid the escalating controversy.