NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) on Friday sought the removal of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over his alleged links to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
In a statement issued by the party’s Polit Bureau, it said that despite clear evidence of the involvement of Puri, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and industrialist Anil Ambani, there has been no attempt by the Union government to seek an explanation or ensure accountability.
Attacking the Centre, the CPM said that the Union government has disallowed any discussion on the Epstein files on the floor of Parliament and that, in the face of available evidence, Puri had been caught lying during his own press conference.
“Instead of being sacked, Hardeep Singh Puri is being protected by all devious means. In these circumstances, the Polit Bureau categorically demands that the Prime Minister remove Hardeep Singh Puri from the Union Cabinet to redeem national embarrassment and shame,” it said.
The party further stated that, in the wake of the unraveling of “extremely repulsive and abhorrent content” in the Epstein files, several individuals have been forced to resign from their positions in their respective countries.
Concrete legal and punitive actions have been initiated in several countries, and Prince Andrew has been stripped of his titles and arrested in the United Kingdom, the Polit Bureau added.
“Extremely repulsive and abhorrent content of the Epstein files is unraveling on a daily basis. Despite attempts by the US Department of Justice and the Trump administration at a grand cover-up, the facts are coming out. There is no iota of doubt about the aggressive criminal nature and impunity of the network involving the power elite consisting of politicians, financial overlords, tech giants, and celebrities who were part of this criminal network, of which Epstein was the chief facilitator,” the statement read.
Earlier, the Congress demanded Puri’s resignation over his alleged links to the Jeffrey Epstein case, involving the convicted American sex offender.