Opposition steps up demand for Hardeep Puri's removal over photo with Jeffrey Epstein

New Delhi: Pressure on the Modi government to remove Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri from the Union Cabinet is mounting. The reason is a photo of him with Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious US sex offender, which went viral recently. The photo surfaced while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai. The Congress has targeted the BJP over it.

The Congress asked whom the US Department of Justice was blackmailing by making viral a photo of a one-on-one meeting between Puri and Epstein on the day the US Secretary of State was meeting India's External Affairs Minister. According to the Congress, it is understandable whom the US was giving a political threat or message. But the photo has made it clear that Puri and Epstein were friends and that the two met repeatedly, it said.

The Congress also said Puri's claim that he never met Epstein in private or alone was false. It asked why, if that was so, the Centre had not sent the US a notice over the release of such false pictures.

Along with the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party have also attacked the government. The opposition parties said Prime Minister Modi should himself offer an explanation. They asked out of what fear the Prime Minister was keeping Puri in the Cabinet when he was not a member of either House of Parliament.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra said Puri had stated that he met Epstein three or four times along with a delegation. She asked where the other members were in the two photos. She said the Prime Minister should clarify what secret Puri holds.

The Congress said the Centre must state whether the photo is false or genuine. If it is false, a letter of protest should be issued, and if it is genuine, Puri's resignation should be taken, it said. The party also asked what special culture the Prime Minister was conveying by keeping in the Cabinet someone who was friends with a man who sexually exploited 16-year-old girls.

The pressure comes at a time when the BJP is considering sending Puri to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh once again. During the West Asia crisis, Puri played an important role in maintaining energy security in the country. With the oil crisis continuing worldwide, he may therefore be retained in the post.

The Epstein files controversy has been running since February 2026. The US Department of Justice released files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, which are claimed to contain Hardeep Puri's name and email. On October 5, 2026, the BJP released a list of 8 names for Rajya Sabha from UP, which does not include Puri. His term ends on November 25, 2026. Opposition leaders from the Congress, TMC and SP are protesting and demanding his immediate resignation along with an independent investigation.