Sibal received award funded by Epstein in 2010, Rahul should respond: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP alleged on Saturday that former Union minister Kapil Sibal received an award funded by convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at an event in the US in 2010 and demanded a response on the issue from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Asked about the allegation, Sibal dismissed it as "rubbish". The Congress too rejected the charge, asserting that Sibal was not Epstein's guest at the event.
Sibal was the Union minister for human resource development at the time. He was given an award at the event for his "resolute support of global collaboration in education", Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, adding, "Completely unrelated to Jeffrey Epstein".
In a post on X, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "In 2010, an award reportedly funded by Jeffrey Epstein was received by senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, a figure long seen as close to the Gandhi family."
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Sam Pitroda, Congress's overseas department head, too was associated with the "same circles", Bhandari alleged.
He posted on X a document, which purportedly had Sibal's name on the list of awardees, alongside other dignitaries, including Pitroda, at the 2010 International Awards Gala that was organised in New York.
"Soon after that period, several policy shifts were witnessed during the then Congress-led government," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
"Were these coincidences, or did external influence of Epstein attempt to shape decisions of Congress govt. Rahul Gandhi should answer!" he said, adding, "Epstein -- Congress Government's Valentine!"
Sibal quit the Congress in 2022. He is currently an Independent member of the Rajya Sabha, backed by the Samajwadi Party.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also targeted the Congress over the issue.
"What kind of Congress' 'mohabbat ki dukan' was going on with Epstein? Why did Kapil Sibal accept an award from Epstein-funded IIE?" he asked in a post on X.
"Rahul Gandhi likes to speak a lot in Parliament, right? Will he say something about this now?" Poonawalla added.
Hitting back at the saffron party, Khera said, "BJP's Pradeep Bhandari and Shehzad Poonawalla are trying to peddle the claim that Kapil Sibal appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files."
"Much to their disappointment, he does not. In the process, they have only exposed their astonishing inability to read the very document they are selectively posting screenshots from," the Congress leader said in a post on X.
He claimed that the file that the BJP leaders are "waving around" was originally sent by Margaux Rogers to Epstein's personal assistant, Lesley Groff, on September 10, 2010, and Groff had then forwarded it to Epstein the same day.
"In other words, it was a compiled list of major public events happening in New York -- events Epstein may have wanted to track. Why? Because that's what he did. He was a predator who kept a watch on elite spaces and influential people," Khera said.
"It's a 59-page document -- listing events ranging from conferences to fashion shows. Kapil Sibal's name appears on page 55 -- under an Institute of International Education event," he added.
"But the BJP propagandists didn't bother reading that far. They saw the name, got excited, and rushed to manufacture a narrative -- hoping to drag the opposition into this mess and distract from the questions surrounding their own disgrace, Hardeep Singh Puri," the Congress leader said.
The Congress has been demanding Union minister Puri's resignation after his name appeared in the "Epstein files" released in the United States.
Participating in a debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Gandhi, the leader of opposition, alleged that the India-US interim trade deal is a "wholesale surrender", with India's energy security handed over to the US and farmers' interests compromised.
He also alleged that Indian interests have been "surrendered" under the deal to protect the BJP's financial architecture.
Talking to reporters outside the new Parliament building, the former Congress chief further claimed that the names of Puri and industrialist Anil Ambani figured in the "Epstein files".
Addressing a press conference later, Puri slammed Gandhi for "passing innuendo" against him, clarifying that he had met Epstein on a "few occasions", but his interactions with him had nothing to do with the crimes the convicted sex offender was involved in.
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Karnataka to approach SC seeking permission to continue MGNREGA
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to continue implementation of MGNREGA in the state, contending that the Centre had repealed the rural employment guarantee law without consultation and failed to put in place any alternative mechanism under the VB-G RAM G Act.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state would immediately move the apex court seeking permission to prepare and implement the annual action plan for rural employment works, while also challenging what it described as an infringement on the constitutional rights of states.
The parliament passed VB-G RAM G in December that replaces MGNREGA.
Patil explained that the Cabinet decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare an action plan in this regard. Since the Centre’s stand interferes with the constitutional rights of state governments, the Cabinet has also decided to challenge this issue before the appropriate court
“There are two points here. One is that they have come in the way of our constitutional right of providing the right to work. That has been halted, and, therefore, the State Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court. The second point is that the Government of India has not provided any alternative,” the Minister said.
The Central Government has not yet issued a notification to implement the VB-G RAM G Act, nor has it made any alternative arrangements and hence continuing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is unavoidable in the public interest, the Minister said.
“Therefore, in the interest of the public, farmers and agricultural labourers, we must continue MGNREGA. For that purpose, the Cabinet has decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare the action plan for this year,” he added.
The Minister also said the Centre had only permitted continuation of pending and spillover MGNREGA works without releasing grants or announcing a fresh action plan.
“The Centre itself has said that pending, spillover and half-done MGNREGA works can continue. That means MGNREGA is actually still functioning in practice. But there is no new action plan,” he said.
Patil said the state had already passed a resolution on the issue, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to the Prime Minister and the Rural Development Minister had held discussions with Union Ministers.
Replying to questions, the minister said the state would move court “as immediately as possible.”
He clarified that the state was seeking permission to formulate and implement this year’s action plan under the existing framework.
“What we are asking the Supreme Court is to allow us to have the action plan for this year and implement it,” he said.
The Cabinet also held detailed discussions on the final report submitted by the State Education Policy Commission headed by former UGC chairman Professor Sukhadeo Thorat.
Patil said a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to examine the report and recommend measures for implementation.
“No decision has been taken yet. The Cabinet sub-committee will recommend what should be accepted and what should be modified,” he said.
He said the report comprised around eight volumes and covered issues relating to financial implications, human resources, curriculum reforms, deemed universities, unitary universities and newly established universities. The Chief Minister has been authorised to constitute the sub-committee.
The Cabinet also approved the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Related Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Amendment Bill, 2026, transferring welfare administration of transport-related workers from the Labour Department to the Transport Department.
The Cabinet further approved establishment of three new industrial estates in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Surpur under the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation and Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 2026, providing two per cent reservation in state civil services appointments for sportspersons.
