Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday firmly clarified that he would neither accept the "Veer Savarkar Award" nor attend the event where it is scheduled to be presented, stating that he had no prior knowledge of the honour and had never consented to receive it. Tharoor further said that he would skip the ceremony as long as there were no clear details about the award or the organisation conferring it.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP criticised the organisers, saying it was "irresponsible" to publicly announce his name without securing his agreement.
Was neither aware of, nor had accepted: Shashi Tharoor
In a statement on X, the Congress MP said, "I have come to know from media reports that I have been named a recipient of the 'Veer Savarkar Award,' which is to be presented today in Delhi. I only learned about this announcement yesterday in Kerala, where I had gone to vote in the local self-government elections."
"There in Thiruvananthapuram, responding to media queries, I had clarified that I was neither aware of, nor had accepted, such an award, and it was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it," he said.
"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.
Tharoor said that in the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organisation presenting it or any other contextual details, the question of his attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader K Muraleedharan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that no party member, including Tharoor, should accept any award in the name of Veer Savarkar "as he had 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.
Organisers claim Congres MP was informed in advance
Following Tharoor's statement, 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. 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," news agency PTI quoted Krishnan as saying.
Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said it was Tharoor's decision whether to accept the award or not.
Tharoor was chosen as one of the recipients of the inaugural Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, instituted by HRDS India, on Wednesday in New Delhi.
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