Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday strongly criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over allegations linked to references to his name in recently released US Department of Justice documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

Responding to Gandhi’s claims that the mentions had compromised India’s trade agreement with the United States, Puri dismissed the charge and said he had done nothing improper.

Speaking to media, Puri said he had met Epstein on two occasions but clarified that the meetings were arranged for official purposes and were not initiated by him.

“I didn’t seek meetings… they were set up for me,” he said, adding that two meetings did not amount to guilt by association. He emphasised that he was not part of the government at the time and said he “comes out smelling of roses” from the episode.

Row over trade agreement

The minister rejected the suggestion that references in the so-called Epstein files had placed pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in negotiating a trade and tariff agreement with the United States.

Puri said that if Rahul Gandhi read the text of the India-US agreement carefully, he would understand that it is part of an interim framework that had been in the works. He stressed that for a country like India, with nearly 50 per cent of its GDP linked to the external sector, trade agreements are vital.

Taking a sharp dig at the Congress leader, Puri said Gandhi was “making a mountain out of a molehill” and accused him of not properly reading the agreement before commenting on it.

Gandhi’s allegation

On Wednesday, after speaking in the Lok Sabha and accusing Prime Minister Modi of “selling out Bharat Mata,” Rahul Gandhi claimed he had verified information that Hardeep Puri and businessman Anil Ambani were named in US Department of Justice records relating to Epstein.

Gandhi argued that the presence of Puri’s name in the files had created direct pressure on the Prime Minister, forcing him into what he described as a disadvantageous agreement for India in matters concerning farmers, data, energy security and defence.

He said no Prime Minister would compromise on such issues without facing “heavy pressure and a very strong chokehold.”

Puri responded by stating he had only met Epstein a handful of times and never in private. He said he had no interest in Epstein’s activities and added that Epstein had described him as “two-faced.”

Government response to Israel reference

Meanwhile, on January 31, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed reports of an email said to be part of the recently released tranche of documents that referenced Prime Minister Modi’s 2017 visit to Israel.

Jaiswal said that apart from the fact of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the email’s references were “trashy ruminations” of a convicted criminal and deserved to be dismissed with contempt.

Fresh disclosures from US

Last month, the US Department of Justice released a new tranche of records from its files related to Epstein. The disclosure includes more than three million pages of documents, over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

The release follows the enactment of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the opening of government files relating to Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday set out what he said would have been the INDIA alliance’s approach in negotiating with US President Donald Trump on the latest trade agreement.

Speaking during the Budget session in Parliament, Gandhi said the Opposition bloc would have insisted on engaging with the United States “as equals” while safeguarding India’s strategic and economic interests.

He referred to earlier remarks by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who had described the agreement as appearing less like a free trade pact and more like a pre-committed purchase arrangement that weakens reciprocity.

Three key points outlined

Gandhi said that if the INDIA alliance were negotiating with President Trump, it would begin by acknowledging the importance of the US dollar and expressing willingness to support economic stability. However, he stressed that India’s data and market access are significant assets and any such engagement must be based on equality.

“If you want access to this data, then please understand that you are going to talk to us as an equal,” Gandhi said, adding that India should not be treated as subordinate in trade discussions.

His second point focused on energy security. Without naming specific measures, Gandhi indicated that India would protect its energy interests regardless of external pressure, an apparent reference to US calls for India to halt oil purchases from Russia.

Third, he said that while the US administration may need to safeguard its agricultural voter base, India would also protect its farmers. He added that India should not accept being equated with Pakistan in trade matters.

Changes in US factsheet

The remarks came amid political debate over an interim trade understanding between India and the United States.

The White House revised an earlier factsheet on the agreement. In the updated version, the reference to “pulses” was removed from the list of American products on which India would eliminate or reduce tariffs.

Additionally, the language describing India’s purchases of American goods was changed. The initial document had stated that India “committed” to buying more US products and purchasing over $500 billion worth of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural goods, coal, and other items. The revised version replaced “committed” with “intends”.

Gandhi criticised the Centre in the Lok Sabha a day after the Congress alleged that India had weakened its own trade leverage.

The current phase of the Budget session is scheduled to conclude on April 2. Parliament will adjourn for recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 for further discussions, including examination of demands for grants by standing committees.

The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines directing that the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ be played before the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ at all government events and in all schools across the country.

Under the new rules, individuals must stand when ‘Vande Mataram’ is played at official functions. The directive also expands the occasions on which the song will be performed, including civilian award ceremonies such as the Padma awards and events attended by the President, during both arrival and departure.

The guidelines further state that ‘Vande Mataram’ will be played in public spaces such as cinema halls. However, standing will not be mandatory in such instances.

Significantly, all six stanzas of the song will now be rendered, including four that were not used at national gatherings following a 1937 decision by the Congress leadership.

Legal backing and extension of protections

Last month, sources had indicated that the government was considering extending protocols applicable to the national anthem under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act to the national song.

Under this law, anyone who disrupts or prevents others from showing respect to the national anthem — and now the national song — can face imprisonment of up to three years.

Political backdrop to the directive

The move is expected to trigger political debate, especially after last year’s exchange between the ruling BJP and the Congress over the history of ‘Vande Mataram’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of opposing the song on the grounds that it could “irritate Muslims”, alleging that this approach mirrored that of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The BJP had also shared letters written by Nehru to support its position. The issue intensified during a parliamentary discussion marking the 150th anniversary of the song.

The four stanzas that were earlier excluded contain references to Hindu goddesses such as Durga, Kamala (Lakshmi) and Saraswati. In 1937, at a Congress session in Faizpur led by Nehru, it was decided that only the first two stanzas would be used at national gatherings. The rationale was that the later verses were viewed by some members of the Muslim community as exclusionary.

The BJP has argued that the earlier exclusions reflected a divisive approach and that dropping the stanzas contributed to the circumstances leading to Partition.

In response, Congress leaders have criticised the ruling party. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge described it as ironic that those claiming to defend nationalism had not historically sung ‘Vande Mataram’. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, speaking in Parliament, accused the Prime Minister and the BJP of selectively quoting Nehru and presenting excerpts from his letters without context, and alleged political motives linked to the upcoming Assembly election in Bengal.

Historical context of the song

‘Vande Mataram’ was written on November 7, 1875, by Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and later published in his 1882 novel ‘Anandmath’. The song became a rallying cry during India’s freedom movement.

Across its six stanzas, the composition portrays the nation as a mother figure, combining nurturing and protective imagery. The later verses specifically reference Hindu goddesses, which formed the basis of the 1937 decision to limit its official use to the first two stanzas.

With the new directive, the government has reinstated all six stanzas for official performance.