Congress MP Shashi Tharoor announced on Wednesday that he will not accept the Veer Savarkar Award nor attend the ceremony scheduled for its presentation. He cited a lack of clarity regarding both the award and the organization behind it. In a subsequent statement, Tharoor expressed that it was inappropriate for the organizers to publicly name him as a recipient without his consent.
Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, revealed he first learned of the award from media reports while in Kerala to participate in local body elections on Tuesday. He confirmed at that time that he had no knowledge of the award and had not agreed to accept it. “Despite this clarification, questions continue to be raised, making it necessary for me to state my position unequivocally,” he commented.
Senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan had previously suggested that no party member should accept an award named after V.D. Savarkar, implying that Savarkar had sought mercy from the British. Muraleedharan expressed confidence that Tharoor would decline the honor to avoid embarrassment for the party.
In New Delhi, Tharoor reiterated to reporters that he would not be attending the ceremony, stating, “I heard about it only yesterday. I am not going.”
Responding to Tharoor’s statements, Aji Krishnan, secretary of the Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) India, which established the award, claimed that Tharoor had been informed ahead of time. Krishnan stated that representatives from the organization had met with Tharoor at his residence to discuss the details, including the list of other awardees. He accused Tharoor of not formally communicating his refusal and hinted at political pressure influencing the decision.
Kerala Law Minister P. Rajeev remarked that the decision to accept or decline the award was entirely Tharoor’s. Tharoor was named as one of the recipients of the inaugural Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, set to be presented on Wednesday in New Delhi. Earlier, on Tuesday, he indicated he was unaware of the award and intended to seek more information before making a decision.
Original Source: https://nenews.in/politics/shashi-tharoor-declines-veer-savarkar-award-says-will-not-attend-ceremony/37537/
Category: Politics,Congress MP,Reject,Shashi Tharoor,Veer Savarkar Award
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Publish Date: 2025-12-10 20:49:00
