'Neither aware of, nor accepted': Shashi Tharoor declines Veer Savarkar award, organisers respond
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has declined the Veer Savarkar Award, objecting to organisers naming him as a recipient without his prior agreement.
- Dec 10, 2025,
- Updated Dec 10, 2025 4:10 PM IST
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has refused the Veer Savarkar Award after he was named the recipient of the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award, given by an NGO, HRDS India. Tharoor criticised the decision of the organisers to reveal recipients before confirming their willingness to accept.
In a statement posted on X, he said that he came to know about being named a recipient of the Veer Savarkar Award from media reports.
"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 that the question of attending the event or accepting the award does not arise as there is no clarification on the nature of the award, the organisation presenting it or any other contextual details.
While Tharoor claimed that he would not accept the award, the founder-secretary of the NGO Aji Krishnan said that the Congress MP was chosen for the award because of "his work towards nation building". He added that they previously met Tharoor regarding the award.
“The decision was communicated to Tharoor a month back itself. We met Tharoor at his house, informed him about the award and invited him to the function. Besides, two weeks ago, our jury chairman, Ravi Kanth (retired IAS), met Tharoor at his house. He wanted to know about other recipients of the award instituted in the name of Savarkar. We shared those details too. There was no issue, and he had agreed to accept the award and attend the event. Till now, we have no communication from Tharoor that he will not attend the event. He might have faced pressure from Congress," he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Krishnan said that Tharoor was chosen due to his global credentials, adding that the latter has always represented India's views globally, including when Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose him to be a part of the Operation Sindoor delegation.
"More recently, he was invited to the state dinner in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has always spoken about nation-building and in favour of India's interests. His talks on British colonialism are inspiring."
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has refused the Veer Savarkar Award after he was named the recipient of the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award, given by an NGO, HRDS India. Tharoor criticised the decision of the organisers to reveal recipients before confirming their willingness to accept.
In a statement posted on X, he said that he came to know about being named a recipient of the Veer Savarkar Award from media reports.
"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 that the question of attending the event or accepting the award does not arise as there is no clarification on the nature of the award, the organisation presenting it or any other contextual details.
While Tharoor claimed that he would not accept the award, the founder-secretary of the NGO Aji Krishnan said that the Congress MP was chosen for the award because of "his work towards nation building". He added that they previously met Tharoor regarding the award.
“The decision was communicated to Tharoor a month back itself. We met Tharoor at his house, informed him about the award and invited him to the function. Besides, two weeks ago, our jury chairman, Ravi Kanth (retired IAS), met Tharoor at his house. He wanted to know about other recipients of the award instituted in the name of Savarkar. We shared those details too. There was no issue, and he had agreed to accept the award and attend the event. Till now, we have no communication from Tharoor that he will not attend the event. He might have faced pressure from Congress," he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Krishnan said that Tharoor was chosen due to his global credentials, adding that the latter has always represented India's views globally, including when Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose him to be a part of the Operation Sindoor delegation.
"More recently, he was invited to the state dinner in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has always spoken about nation-building and in favour of India's interests. His talks on British colonialism are inspiring."