New Delhi— Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday firmly declined to accept an award named after VD Savarkar, stating that his name had been announced without his approval and that he would not attend the related event. The announcement came amid criticism within the Congress, with senior leader K Muraleedharan urging party members to reject any honour associated with Savarkar, whom he accused of having “bowed before the British.”
Tharoor said he had neither agreed to receive the “Veer Savarkar Award” nor been informed about the nature of the award or the organisation behind it. “It was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it,” he said. He added that he first came across the news on Tuesday while in Kerala to vote in the local body elections.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, he clarified that he was not attending the ceremony. Later, in a post on X, he wrote that without clarity on the award or the organising body, “the question of my attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise.”
His remarks followed criticism from his own party. Muraleedharan had earlier told the media that no Congress member should accept an award in Savarkar’s name, arguing that doing so would “insult and embarrass the party.” He added that he did not believe Tharoor would agree to receive it.
The award is being presented by the Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) India, whose secretary, Aji Krishnan, contested Tharoor’s version of events. Krishnan told a TV channel that the MP had been informed well in advance and that the award committee had even met him at his residence. According to him, Tharoor had requested the list of other recipients but had not communicated any refusal directly. “Perhaps he is scared as the Congress has made it an issue,” Krishnan claimed.
Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev responded by saying that accepting the award was entirely Tharoor’s personal decision.
Tharoor had been selected as one of the recipients of the inaugural “Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025,” instituted by HRDS India. He reiterated on Tuesday that he had learned about the award only through media reports and was unaware of the organisation behind it, saying, “I am not aware of anything related to the award. Let me find out what it is.”
