Shashi Tharoor refuses 'Veer Savarkar Award': 'Neither aware, nor accepted'
The Congress MP clarified that he was not aware of the award and slammed the organisers, saying they announced his name without him agreeing to receive it
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is never far from making the headlines, has found himself at the centrestage once again over refusing to accept an award named after Veer Savarkar, a right-wing ideologue.
The parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram, whose relationship with his own party has come under scrutiny in recent times, said he decided against taking the honour due to a lack of clarification and the nature of the award and the organisers who conferred it.
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He told the media that he was not going when asked about it, before stating his position in an online post.
In a pinned post on X on Wednesday (December 10) which was viewed by more than 1,11,000 people at the time of writing this report, the veteran leader said he came to learn about him picked as a recipient of the “Veer Savarkar Award” from media reports only a day before in Kerala, where he had gone to cast his vote in the ongoing local self-government elections. The award was set to be presented in Delhi on Wednesday, he informed.
Tharoor slams organisers
About his decision against accepting the award, Tharoor wrote in his post, “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.
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.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 10, 2025
I only learned about this announcement yesterday in Kerala, where I had gone to vote in the local self-government elections.
There in…
“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.
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“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.”
Congress MP picked as inaugural recipient
The Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025 is instituted by the NGO Highrange Rural Development Society, a body linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and Tharoor was named as its inaugural recipient.
It was set to be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the NMDC Convention Hall in New Delhi to honour individuals and outfits that have made efforts towards making a change in national development, social reform, and humanitarian outreach.
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The Congress, which has spoken against some of Tharoor’s actions in recent times, including over his presence at the state banquet held in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, where the Opposition party’s top leaders were not invited, reacted to the latest episode as well.
Congress leader says award insulting for party
Veteran Congress leader K Muraleedharan, who also hails from Tharoor’s state, said receiving such an award would mean an insult and embarrassment for the Congress. The Grand Old Party questions Savarkar’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle, even as the BJP and the right-wing family consider him a revolutionary figure.
Some years ago, the Congress had expressed its anguish over the late President, Pranab Mukherjee, who was once one of its top leaders, attending the headquarters of the RSS in Nagpur. Mukherjee, however, went ahead with the visit despite the party requesting him to cancel it.