Sibal received Epstein-linked award in 2010, Rahul should respond: BJP

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.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.” 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 alleged.

Epstein — Congress Government’s #Valentine !

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. Sam Pitroda too was associated with the same circles.

-Soon after that… pic.twitter.com/Z4xQNEhV8S

— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी) (@pradip103) February 14, 2026

Asked about the allegation, Sibal dismissed it as "rubbish". Sibal quit the Congress in 2022. He is currently an Independent member of the Rajya Sabha, backed by the Samajwadi Party.
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". Khera explained that the document being circulated was a list of public events in New York, compiled by Margaux Rogers and forwarded to Epstein's assistant. It included various events, such as conferences and fashion shows, with Sibal's name appearing under an Institute of International Education event.