BJP Challenges Congress Over 2010 Award Allegedly Linked to Epstein
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised serious allegations against former Union Minister Kapil Sibal, claiming that he accepted an award in 2010 that was allegedly funded by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The award was conferred during Sibal’s tenure as India’s Human Resource Development Minister. The BJP has also demanded a public response from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the matter.
This development comes amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the recently released “Epstein files,” which have sparked a political storm in India. The BJP alleges that Sibal, then a senior Congress leader, received the award at a gala in New York, organized by the Institute of International Education (IIE), an event they claim had financial links to Epstein.
Congress and Sibal Denounce Allegations
In response to the accusations, both the Congress party and Kapil Sibal have firmly denied any association with Epstein. Sibal labeled the allegation as “rubbish,” while Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera clarified that the award had no connection to Epstein. Khera stated that Sibal was honored for his “resolute support of global collaboration in education,” and that the event was entirely unrelated to the disgraced financier.
“The BJP’s narrative is deliberately misleading. Kapil Sibal’s name appears in a publicly available event listing, not in any criminal file,” Khera stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He added that the BJP was attempting to distort facts by selectively sharing screenshots from a 59-page document that merely listed public events in New York. “They failed to read the context or the details,” Khera emphasized.
Social Media Posts Intensify the Debate
Pradeep Bhandari, BJP’s national spokesperson, took to X to allege that Sibal and Sam Pitroda, another senior Congress figure, were both part of the 2010 International Awards Gala. He posted a document that reportedly includes Sibal’s name among several awardees. Bhandari questioned whether this connection was purely coincidental or indicative of external influence over Congress-led government policies during that period.
“Soon after that period, policy shifts were observed. Were these coincidences, or did Epstein’s networks influence Congress decisions?” Bhandari asked. He provocatively dubbed the alleged association as “Epstein — Congress Government’s Valentine!”
Another BJP spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, echoed these sentiments, questioning why Sibal accepted an award from an entity allegedly linked to Epstein. “Rahul Gandhi loves to speak in Parliament. Will he say something about this now?” Poonawalla added.
Khera Refutes BJP’s Interpretation of Documents
Pawan Khera countered the BJP’s claims by dissecting the document they cited. He explained that the file being circulated was sent by Margaux Rogers to Epstein’s assistant and was meant to inform Epstein of major public events in New York. “It was not an invitation list or an endorsement,” Khera asserted. “Epstein, as a predator, tracked elite gatherings. That does not imply the participants were complicit or even aware of his intentions.”
Khera added that Sibal’s name appears on page 55 under the IIE event, a detail he says the BJP either overlooked or deliberately ignored. “Their eagerness to manufacture a scandal has only exposed their inability to interpret documents accurately,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi Fires Back Amid Budget Debate
As the controversy raged, Rahul Gandhi launched his own offensive during a debate on the Union Budget in Parliament. He accused the BJP-led government of compromising India’s interests in the India-US interim trade deal, calling it a “wholesale surrender.” Gandhi alleged that the deal sacrificed energy security and farmer interests to protect the BJP’s financial ecosystem.
Outside Parliament, Gandhi claimed that Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and industrialist Anil Ambani were named in the Epstein files. These remarks triggered further backlash from the BJP, with Puri denying the allegations and asserting that his meetings with Epstein were unrelated to any wrongdoing.
“Passing innuendo does not equate to evidence,” Puri said at a press conference. “My interactions with Epstein were limited and had nothing to do with his criminal activities.”
Political Tensions Escalate
The episode has added fuel to an already heated political climate, with both parties accusing each other of deflecting attention from more pressing issues. While the BJP demands accountability for alleged associations with Epstein, Congress insists the ruling party is using these claims to distract from controversies involving its own members.
Sibal, who left Congress in 2022 and is now an Independent Rajya Sabha MP supported by the Samajwadi Party, has not issued any further comment beyond dismissing the allegation as baseless.
This article is inspired by content from Original Source. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.
