The 'Veer Savarkar Award' Row: 'Won't Accept,' Says Shashi Tharoor, Questions Organiser’s Claims

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday categorically stated that he would not accept an award named after VD Savarkar, nor attend a related event. Tharoor was chosen as one of the recipients of the inaugural

Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, instituted by Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) India. Tharoor said that he will not accept the 'Veer Savarkar Award' and also won't attend the event where it will be presented in the absence of clarifications about its nature or the organisation presenting it. He told reporters that he had heard about the award on Tuesday. "I heard about it yesterday only. I am not going. I am not here," he said."It was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it," said the Thiruvananthapuram MP. Tharoor said that he learned that he was named as a recipient of the award when he went to Kerala to vote in the local body polls on Tuesday.Subsequently, in a post on social media platform 'X', the Congress MP said, "In the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organisation presenting it or any other contextual details, the question of my attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise." "Despite that, today in Delhi, some media outlets continue to ask the same question. Therefore, I am issuing this statement to clarify the matter unequivocally," Tharoor added.

Organiser Make Different Claim

As Tharoor said that he wasn't aware of him being chosen as a recepient of the award, the organiser said that the Congress MP was informed in advance. Aji Krishnan, the secretary of the Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) India which is presenting the award, told a TV channel that the Congress MP was informed about the matter well in advance, reported PTI. He said that representatives of HRDS India and the chairman of the award jury had met Tharoor at his residence to invite him and the MP had asked for a list of the other recipients of the award. "We gave him the list. He has not yet informed us that he will not come for the event. Perhaps he is scared as the Congress has made it an issue," Krishnan claimed.

How Congress Leaders Reacted

Tharoor's reaction came as a senior party colleague wanted the Congress MP to not accept any honour named after the ideologue whom he claimed "bowed before the British." Muraleedharan said that he does not believe that Tharoor will accept the award as doing so would insult and embarrass the Congress party. Meanwhile, Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said it was Tharoor's decision whether to accept the award or not.(With inputs from PTI)