In a session of the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi introduced a cryptic reference to the number 16 during the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill, suggesting it held the key to a 'puzzle.' He stated, 'The whole answer to the riddle is in the number 16. Everything is in the number 16.' Later, speaking to reporters outside Parliament about his remark, Gandhi said, 'It is a puzzle, I won't tell the answer just like that.
If I find the solution, I will tell you this is it.”
The Congress party subsequently posted on its official X platform, hinting at a connection between “sixteen” and “Epstein.” The post read: “Puzzle for all of you: Yesterday, the Prime Minister was low on energy. Suddenly, I noticed it was the 16th of April. My God, how crazy! The number: Sixteen (Sixteen sounds a lot like Epstein, doesn’t it?).”
In his speech, Gandhi also questioned the representation and status of backward classes under the Modi government, saying, “I want to ask: in corporate India and across the entire financial structure of this country, where are the Dalits? Where are the OBCs? Where are the Adivasis? Earlier, the public sector provided space for Dalits and OBCs. You (Modi govt) have removed it, weakened it, and handed it over to your friends. You call OBCs and Dalits Hindus, but you do not give them space in the power structure of this country, nor do you give them their rightful place.”
Responding sharply, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey described April 17 as marking the “Congress’ Dark Chapter.” Speaking in reply to Gandhi’s speech, Dubey recalled significant events associated with the date, including the accusation against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors scandal, the heckling of former Congress president Sitaram Kesri, the appointment of Sonia Gandhi as party chief, and the fall of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government by a single decisive vote. Dubey shared a clip of his speech on X, stating: “17 April – Congress’s Dark Chapter 1. Rajiv Gandhi was accused in the Bofors scandal 2. Sitaram Kesri was dragged out by pulling his dhoti – Sonia ji got the chair 3. Atal ji’s government was toppled by 1 vote 4. Made CM vote in Lok Sabha – played a technical trick 5. Money, corruption, conversions – these were Congress’s weapons. BJP lost the government – but did not lose its integrity.”
On April 17, the Lok Sabha continued its discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, which had commenced the previous day.