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Epstein Files Mention Indian Prime Minister Modi, Sparking Controversy
Jeffrey Epstein. (AP: Manish Swarup)
Newly released documents from the legal cases related to Jeffrey Epstein have referenced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting scrutiny and political debate. The documents, part of the so-called “Epstein files,” include an email from July 2017 in which Epstein claims Modi “took advice and danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US president.” Epstein added, “they had met a few weeks ago. IT WORKED!”
Mr. Modi did undertake an official visit to Israel in July 2017 – a historically significant trip as it was the first by an Indian prime Minister to the country. However, India’s foreign ministry has strongly refuted any suggestion of inappropriate involvement by Epstein.
“we have seen reports of an email message from the so-called Epstein files that has a reference to the prime minister and his visit to Israel,” a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.”Beyond the fact of the prime minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017,the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal,which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt.”
Opposition parties in India have seized on the mention of Modi’s name.
K.C. Venugopal, General Secretary of the Indian National Congress, stated the files were “a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation.” He further questioned whether Modi had met Epstein directly or sent representatives, and what the nature of any conversations might have been.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, a spokesperson for modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), responded to the allegations, stating, according to Indian media reports, that there was “no mention of a direct email with the prime minister, no direct message, no direct phone calls [with Epstein].” He reiterated that the Prime Minister’s visit to Israel was an official state visit.
“Each and every meeting of his was official and there was only one song that was sung there and that was the national song.”
Context and Further Developments:
The released documents are part of a larger trove related