New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has been named one of six recipients of the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, presented by the volunteer group HRDS India.

The award ceremony is scheduled for December 10, 2025, at the NDMC Convention Hall in New Delhi, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the event, and J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will attend as the chief dignitary.

However, MP Shashi Tharoor stated that he will not accept the award, and he has not responded directly to the selection. “I am not getting anything. I just heard about it yesterday, and I am not going,” Tharoor said.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Tharoor said he only learned about the award through media reports the previous day while in Kerala for local self-government elections. He clarified that he was neither aware of nor had accepted the award, calling it “irresponsible” for the organisers to announce his name without his consent.

He further said, “In the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organization presenting it or any other contextual details, the question of my attending the event today or accepting the award does not arise.”

The award recognises six individuals, including Tharoor, for their achievements in various fields. Organisers cited Tharoor’s wide-ranging influence both nationally and globally as the reason for his selection.

K. Muraleedharan responded that no Congressman should accept any award in Savarkar's name. In recent times, Tharoor had become an eyesore for Congress by making statements in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.