Shashi Tharoor Rejects Savarkar Award
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has declined the “Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025”, saying his name was announced without his knowledge or approval. Tharoor said he first came to know of the award when he saw media reports, and later clarified that he had never agreed to accept it.
No Consent And No Clarity
Tharoor described the organisers’ decision as irresponsible. He said he was neither consulted nor informed about the nature of the award, the criteria, or the organisation behind it. Without such clarity, he said it was not possible to accept. He added that he was in Kerala for local body elections at the time of the announcement and could not attend even if he had wanted to.
Political Angle To The Controversy
The award is named after Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a figure who remains politically sensitive, especially within the Congress. Party colleagues have often advised against accepting honours connected to Savarkar. Tharoor said the move had caused unnecessary confusion and could have been avoided if organisers had followed proper procedure.
The organisers, however, claimed they had informed him and shared the details earlier, but Tharoor has stood by his decision and confirmed he will not attend the event.
