Congress links Modi’s Israel outreach to ‘Epstein Files’ claims
The Hindu
Congress criticises Modi's Israel visit, linking it to controversial 'Epstein Files' amid ongoing Indo-U.S. trade deal tensions.
The Congress on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Israel, with the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi asking, “on whose orders the Prime Minister has gone to sign a deal against the country’s interest”.
In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi said he had challenged the Prime Minister to cancel the Indo-U.S. trade deal, but Mr. Modi had quietly left for Israel.
“Narendra “Surrender” Modi, it’s been more than 24 hours since I challenged you to cancel the U.S. trade deal— and once again, you’ve quietly slipped off to Israel. At least once, you’ve already ‘danced and sung’ in Israel at Epstein’s behest—so this time, on whose orders will you return after striking a deal against the country’s interests?” Mr. Gandhi asked. He was referring to emails released as part of the so-called “Epstein Files”, in which the convicted American sex offender, late Jeffrey Epstein, claimed that then U.S. President Donald Trump played a role in the Prime Minister’s July 2017 visit to Israel.
However, on January 31, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the contents of the emails as “trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal”.
Despite such denials, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday cited purported email exchanges between Union Minister Hardeep Puri, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and industrialist Anil Ambani and alleged that the foundation of the India-Israel relationship was laid by Epstein.
“Jeffrey Epstein is a notorious sex offender for the common people, but a hero for the Modi government’s foreign policy. Even after death, Jeffrey Epstein lives on in the Modi government’s decisions and policies,” Mr. Khera alleged at a press conference, displaying a big movie-like parody poster titled ‘Jeffrey Ne Bana Di Jodi’ (Jeffrey created the relationship).
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