After Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded action over Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s past meetings and email exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein, the controversy has shifted from explanation to accountability. While Puri has maintained that the interactions were part of official diplomatic engagements and not personal ties, the Opposition argues that continued contact after Epstein’s conviction raises serious questions of judgment. Should Hardeep Singh Puri step down to avoid a credibility cloud over the government or is the resignation demand driven more by political optics than evidence of wrong doing ?
कांग्रेस नेताओं राहुल गांधी और प्रियंका गांधी वाड्रा द्वारा केंद्रीय मंत्री हरदीप सिंह पुरी की जेफ्री एपस्टीन से मुलाकातों और ईमेल आदान-प्रदान पर कार्रवाई की मांग के बाद यह मुद्दा सफाई से आगे बढ़कर जवाबदेही का बन गया है। जहां पुरी का कहना है कि ये संपर्क आधिकारिक और कूटनीतिक दायरे में थे, वहीं विपक्ष का आरोप है कि एपस्टीन के दोषी ठहराए जाने के बाद भी संपर्क बनाए रखना निर्णय क्षमता पर गंभीर सवाल खड़ा करता है। क्या सरकार की साख पर सवालों से बचने के लिए हरदीप सिंह पुरी को पद छोड़ देना चाहिए या फिर इस्तीफे की मांग सबूतों से ज्यादा राजनीतिक दबाव और धारणा की राजनीति का हिस्सा है ?
With the BJP reiterating its intent to contest alone on all 117 seats and ruling out any alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, the opposition space in Punjab appears increasingly fragmented. Given the BJP’s limited rural presence and heavy dependence on urban pockets, questions remain about whether a solo strategy can translate vote share into seats. At the same time, the Congress continues to struggle with factionalism, leadership tussles, and weak ground coordination. In a state where electoral outcomes are often shaped by consolidated vote blocs rather than divided opposition, the emerging political picture raises a larger concern. If the BJP goes solo without Akali support and Congress fails to resolve its internal instability, will a divided and weakened opposition end up splitting anti-incumbency votes, indirectly easing the path for the Aam Aadmi Party to retain power and strengthen its chances of returning for a second term ?
