'Not going': Shashi Tharoor declines 'Veer Savarkar Award'
What's the story
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has declined the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025. Tharoor was chosen as one of the recipients of the inaugural Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025 on Wednesday in New Delhi. The award is instituted by Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) India. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor said he learned about the award from media reports and clarified that he neither knew about it nor accepted it.
Award controversy
Tharoor criticizes organizers for premature announcement
Tharoor slammed the award's organizers for announcing his name without his consent. He termed their move "irresponsible" and said it was inappropriate to announce an award without prior agreement from the recipient. "In the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organization presenting it or any other contextual details, the question of my attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise," he wrote.
Award acceptance
HRDS India claims Tharoor was informed in advance
Kerala law minister P Rajeev also said that it was entirely up to Tharoor to accept or decline the award. HRDS India, however, claims they had informed Tharoor well in advance about the award. Aji Krishnan, secretary of HRDS India, said representatives visited Tharoor at his residence to extend the invitation and he asked for a list of other awardees. "Perhaps he is scared as the Congress has made it an issue," Krishnan told a TV channel.
Party stance
Congress leader advises against accepting Savarkar award
Earlier, Congress leader K Muraleedharan had advised party members against accepting awards named after Savarkar "as he had bowed before the British." He said accepting such honors would insult and embarrass the Congress party. Muraleedharan also said that he does not believe that Tharoor will accept the award. The Highrange Rural Development Society, an RSS-linked NGO, had named Tharoor as one of the six recipients of the award.