Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Mata Sold' Remark Over Epstein Files Sparks Showdown, Govt Seeks Proof
A major political storm erupted in the Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi alleged that "Bharat Mata has been sold" under the India-US trade deal, linking the agreement to the controversial Epstein files. The Leader of the Opposition claimed that India was "short-changed" because the Prime Minister was allegedly under pressure, citing references to PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Puri in the Epstein-related documents.
The government hit back strongly, with Hardeep Puri issuing a sharp rebuttal and dismissing the insinuations as baseless. The Centre has now challenged Rahul Gandhi to authenticate his claims or face a breach of privilege motion.
The emails cited involve correspondence from 2014 in which Hardeep Puri wrote to Jeffrey Epstein and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, promoting the Make in India initiative and inviting investment interest. The government maintains that the emails do not indicate wrongdoing and calls the allegations politically motivated.
