No Clue! Shashi Tharoor Denies Receiving Veer Savarkar Award

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has denied that he will receive a “Veer Savarkar Award”, saying there was no agreement from his side to accept any such honour. Tharoor also said no clear information was shared about the award or the body behind it, and confirmed that there was no plan to attend the scheduled ceremony.

The controversy grew after reports claimed that Tharoor would be honoured with the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, instituted by HRDS India. Questions quickly emerged inside the Congress over a party MP being linked with an award named after VD Savarkar, a polarising figure in national politics and public debate.

Shashi Tharoor Veer Savarkar award row and Congress reaction

Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said no Congress member should accept an award named after VD Savarkar, whom Muraleedharan alleged had "bowed before the British." Muraleedharan added that Tharoor accepting such an honour would "insult and embarrass" the party, stressing that the move would clash with the Congress’s stated political position on Savarkar’s legacy.

Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev took a different line, stating that the decision remained personal. Rajeev said it was Shashi Tharoor’s right to either take the Veer Savarkar award or refuse it, framing the issue as an individual call rather than a matter requiring a wider government stance within Kerala’s political space.

Shashi Tharoor Veer Savarkar award denial and HRDS India response

Tharoor explained that news of the Veer Savarkar award first reached him through media coverage, while Tharoor was in Kerala to cast a vote in local self-government elections. Tharoor later posted a detailed clarification on X, saying, "Responding to media queries, I clarified that I was neither aware of, nor had accepted, such an award," addressing growing speculation.

Tharoor criticised the organisers for using his name without prior consent. Tharoor said, "It was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it," and added that no one had shared any explanation regarding the award’s criteria, purpose, or the organisation’s background before media reports appeared.

As Delhi reporters kept asking whether Tharoor might still attend, Tharoor released a stronger statement ruling that out. Tharoor said, "In the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organisation presenting it or any other contextual details, the question of my attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise," stressing that participation was off the table.

HRDS India secretary Aji Krishnan then disputed Tharoor’s version and said the MP knew earlier about the Veer Savarkar award. Krishnan told a TV channel that HRDS representatives, along with the award jury chairperson, had met Tharoor at Tharoor’s residence and shared names of other honourees. Krishnan said, "We gave him the list. He has not yet informed us that he will not attend. Perhaps he is scared as the Congress has made it an issue," suggesting political pressure.

With sharp statements from HRDS India and Congress leaders on record, the dispute now centres on who said what, and when. Tharoor’s categorical denial, the party’s internal concerns, and HRDS India’s counter-claims ensure the Veer Savarkar award issue stays active in political debate for the coming days.