Congress alleges PM Modi’s Israel visit is influenced by the late Jeffrey Epstein’s network
New Delhi: The Congress party on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to Israel, alleging that India’s foreign policy shift towards closer ties with Israel has been shaped by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a network involving American and Israeli figures.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters on 24 Akbar Road, Pawan Khera, Chairman, Media & Publicity Department, AICC, claimed that emails from what are known as the “Epstein Files” reveal a 2017 chronology in which Epstein acted as a central figure in influencing India’s defence and diplomatic engagements with Israel and the United States.
Displaying a poster styled like a Bollywood film titled Jeffrey Ne Bana Di Jodi (Jeffrey Made the Pair), Khera remarked, “How does it look? If it looks fine, you will see all the leading characters.” He described Epstein — whom he called a “sex offender and sinner” in the eyes of the public but a “hero” for the Modi government — as still alive in spirit. “Epstein is not dead; Epstein is an idea, and ideas never die. Epstein is Narendra Modi’s ideology,” he asserted.
Khera argued that Modi’s current visit to Israel — his second since becoming Prime Minister — is taking place against the backdrop of reported US threats against Iran, a traditional Indian partner. He accused the government of sidelining relations with Iran and Russia to fully embrace Israel, claiming an “Israel-America lobby” had decisively altered India’s long-standing foreign policy of supporting a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine on humanitarian grounds.
The Congress leader presented a timeline of alleged email exchanges from 2017:
January 4, 2017: Then-diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri emailed Epstein requesting a meeting, which was scheduled for January 6.
Epstein subsequently contacted spiritual author Deepak Chopra seeking information about industrialist Anil Ambani.
Ambani met Epstein on February 21, 2017. Soon after, Epstein introduced Ambani to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, describing him as “a level above the rest.”
March 2, 2017: Ambani asked Epstein for “guidance on dealing with White House for India relationship and defense cooperation.” Epstein replied: “Remember, what are you willing to GIVE? No ideology needed. Tit for tat.” Ambani responded: “Indian market whatever works!”
Epstein then asked Barak about India’s potential role in US defence interests and later told Ambani that Modi’s planned US visit was “part of the Israel strategy,” adding that private business was viewed as preferable to dealings with the “corrupt” Indian government.
Khera alleged these communications bypassed the Ministry of External Affairs entirely, with Puri, Ambani, Epstein, and Barak effectively directing policy. He claimed Ambani informed Epstein in March 2017 of Modi’s forthcoming Israel visit dates (July 5-6) well before any official announcement, and sought Epstein’s help to arrange meetings with Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon ahead of Modi’s US trip.
Calling the Prime Minister a “robot” built and controlled by this network, Khera linked the alleged influence to India’s large-scale defence acquisitions from Israel in subsequent years — accounting for 34% of Israel’s defence exports between 2020 and 2024. He cited deals such as the 2017 Naval LR-SAM procurement, the 2018 Adani-Elbit drone manufacturing joint venture in Hyderabad, the 2020 Negev Light Machine Gun contract, the 2022 Haifa Port acquisition by Adani Ports, and various drone, technology, and anti-submarine warfare collaborations.
He also referenced Yoni Koren, described as a close aide to Ehud Barak and a former Mossad-linked intelligence officer, who reportedly stayed in Epstein-associated premises 13 times between 2014 and 2017. Khera cited an FBI statement indicating Epstein had trained as a spy under Barak.
“The biggest threat to India is the people governing India today because they are playing in the wrong hands since 2014,” Khera warned. He described Modi’s 2017 Israel visit — during which the Prime Minister did not visit Palestine — as a performance of “song and dance” carried out “for the benefit of the US President” that “worked,” according to an alleged Epstein email.
Khera termed the current visit “Part Two of the dance drama” and suggested recent India-US trade developments were being used to divert attention from these emails. “Epstein is watching minutely,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Israel on February 25, addressed the Knesset, and held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on deepening security, economic, and technological cooperation.
No immediate response was available from the Prime Minister’s Office, the BJP, or the individuals named in the allegations. The claims rest on emails that have surfaced in US court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
