- Congress leadership condemns Modi for his links and demands answers.
- Cites Modi’s meetings with Trump and trip to Israel to allege a link.
- The government denies any advisory role or significant contact with Epstein.
Newly released files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have attracted attention after an email mentioning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surfaced in the latest batch released by the US Department of Justice, drawing a sharp response from New Delhi.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that one of the emails, attributed to Epstein, referenced Modi’s state visit to Israel in 2017 – the first by an Indian prime minister.
The post claims that Modi followed Epstein’s advice during the trip, a suggestion that Indian authorities have strongly rejected.
India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) said the only verifiable fact contained in the email is Modi’s official visit to Israel, calling the rest of the claims baseless and misleading.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the remarks as the musings of a convicted criminal, saying there was no evidence of any meaningful contact or advisory role involving Modi and Epstein.
Despite the denial, opposition parties cited the reference to pressure the government for an explanation.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, had sharply criticized Prime Minister Modi, calling any alleged links to Epstein a deep national shame.
Congress, in a recent statement, said Epstein wrote in an email that Modi followed his advice before traveling to Israel, saying 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 met then US President Donald Trump in June 2017, before the Israel visit, saying this showed a deep and long-standing connection between Modi and Epstein.
The opposition party said the issue was about national dignity and international credibility and Modi needed to answer questions about the 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 imprisoned in 2008 for soliciting sex for money from a minor.
A new cache of records released Friday related to the investigation of recently 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 those named in the documents.
