New Delhi [India], February 13 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday demanded the resignation of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, raising questions over his alleged interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and calling him 'unfit to remain in position'.

Speaking to ANI, Khera said, 'Clearly, the Congress party is demanding the resignation of Hardeep Singh Puri. This person has no right to remain in his position. In the last 48 hours, he has only lied. We will raise this issue before the people of the country that this government is compromised, and that too with a person like Jeffrey Epstein.'

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he criticised Puri's recent interviews. 'He says, 'If something had happened, I would have told you.' Imagine, look at the mindset with which he is speaking. 'If something had happened, I would have told you.' I was stunned by this,' Khera said.

Referring to the controversy surrounding the so-called Epstein Files, Khera claimed that leaders from seven countries had resigned in connection with the matter. 'Sadly, Narendra Modi and Hardeep Singh Puri are also implicated in this,' he alleged.

Describing Puri's statements as 'misleading', Khera said, 'Puri claimed that when he first went to meet Epstein, he had no idea of the location because a driver was taking him there. I felt a little uneasy on my way to meet Epstein, so I googled where I was going and then asked myself whether I should go to meet Epstein.'

He questioned Puri's judgement, asking, 'Was Hardeep Singh Puri a child when all this happened?'

Clarifying the party's stand, Khera said, 'The claim that Hardeep Singh Puri met Epstein only once is false. In fact, Hardeep Singh Puri met Epstein several times.'

He also referred to Puri's comments regarding Epstein's criminal record. 'Some of us had doubts about Epstein's criminal record,' Puri had said, despite Epstein pleading guilty in court in 2008. Khera responded, 'Even after Epstein's confession, our Minister Hardeep Puri had doubts in 2014. He's a minister, and this is the quality of his morals. In such a situation, how can Hardeep Puri be justified?'

Khera further alleged that Puri tried to downplay his interactions. 'I didn't talk to Epstein much. There were a couple of emails and three or four meetings, and I never asked for an appointment,' Puri had said, according to Khera. The Congress leader called these claims false and asked, 'If Hardeep Singh Puri never asked for an appointment, then what was all this about? Were you pressured by Modi to go and meet Epstein?'

He also raised concerns over the alleged sharing of information. 'On November 13, 2014, Epstein sent an email to Reid Hoffman, providing information about 'Digital India,' even though 'Digital India' was launched in July 2015. This means that Hardeep Puri had already informed Epstein about 'Digital India' before the citizens of India,' Khera claimed.

Questioning foreign policy decisions, Khera asked, 'In June 2015, Epstein was expressing his displeasure with Middle East policy through Hardeep Puri, because Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India in May 2015? Did Narendra Modi go to Israel instead of Palestine because of Epstein's displeasure and to correct his mistake? Who was ultimately deciding India's foreign policy?'

'Hardeep Puri is simply lying that he never spoke to Epstein. The truth is that you used to go for coffee, you used to write about 'Have Fun', meaning you knew everything,' he added. (ANI)