Rahul Gandhi's explosive claim: PM Modi compromised by Epstein files

Rahul Gandhi made explosive allegations, claiming PM Modi's political autonomy is compromised by sensitive information in 350,000 Jeffrey Epstein files held in the US, which are allegedly being used as leverage for coercive US-India deals.

Rahul Gandhi's Explosive Allegations

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, in a rhetorical attack, levelled explosive allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming the PM's political autonomy has been compromised by sensitive information held in the United States. Gandhi's argument centres on a dramatic claim that the Prime Minister's "history and character" are documented within 350,000 files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, files he alleged are being used as leverage by American leadership. Adressing a gathering in Gurugram, Gandhi pointed specifically to recent US-India deals as evidence of coercion rather than cooperation.

Gandhi claimed that 3.5 lakh (350,000) files concerning Jeffrey Epstein are currently in America, containing damaging information about the Prime Minister. In a pointed remark, Gandhi said, "If Donald Trump tells him to jump, Narendra Modi will jump."

"3.5 lakh Epstein files are lying in America. Modi's entire history and character are in those files... Trump openly says on his Twitter that he can end Narendra Modi's career in a minute," he added. He argued that recent bilateral agreements were signed under extreme duress. "No Prime Minister could have made such a deal... It was signed under pressure from America," Gandhi stated.

"If you want proof that Narendra Modi is in control, I'll give you proof right now. Sometime ago, the US-India deal was signed... No Prime Minister could have made such a deal... It was signed under pressure from America... The biggest reason for this is Epstein," he said.

He painted a picture of a total loss of sovereignty, using vivid and highly controversial imagery to describe the relationship between the two leaders. "Narendra Modi can't even utter a word without Donald Trump's permission. Narendra Modi can't even utter a word without Donald Trump's permission," he added.

Rahul Gandhi has been constantly accusing the PM of being "compromised" and alleging that he is acting under pressure from Trump. Earlier on April 25, Gandhi attacked PM Modi, over the handling of India's relations with the USA, alleging that the PM is being "controlled" by Trump. Rahul Gandhi at an election rally in Hooghly said, "Narendra Modi made a trade deal with America, in which he sold off India's agriculture sector, small and medium industry, and energy security. Along with that, he handed over all our data to America as well. No Prime Minister of the country can do such a thing without pressure."

Official Rebuttals and Lack of Evidence

While Gandhi's statements are highly controversial, it is important to distinguish between political rhetoric and documented evidence. While Jeffrey Epstein's network involved numerous global figures, there is no public evidence or credible reporting to date that links Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Epstein files or his social circles.

Notably, in January 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had strongly dismissed with contempt the references made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in 2017 in an email that is purportedly part of the recently released Epstein Files. In a video message, the MEA spokesperson dubbed the reference as the trashy ruminations of a convicted criminal."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. 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," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

BJP Responds to Allegations

The BJP has yet to issue a formal rebuttal to these specific claims, though party spokespeople earlier have typically dismissed such allegations as "hallucinatory" and a sign of "political frustration." BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Congress of spreading falsehoods by allegedly editing an email linked to the Jeffrey Epstein files to falsely suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken advice from the disgraced financier.

Background on Jeffrey Epstein Case

The US Department of Justice had released a major batch of investigative material linked to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, making public more than three million pages of records along with over 2,000 videos and around 180,000 images. Epstein died by apparent suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. He had earlier served 13 months in custody in Florida following a controversial plea deal in 2008. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)