Overview
- Shashi Tharoor said he will not accept the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award and will not attend the Delhi ceremony, calling the announcement of his name irresponsible.
- Tharoor stated he learned of his selection only from media reports while in Kerala on Tuesday and said he had received no details about the award or the presenting organisation.
- HRDS India asserted it had informed Tharoor a month earlier, saying representatives and the award jury chair met him at his residence and that he had asked for the list of other recipients.
- Organisers further claimed they had not been told he would skip the event and suggested party pressure may be influencing his stand, a contention Tharoor’s statements contradict.
- The event is listed for the NDMC Convention Hall in New Delhi with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate it and Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha among the dignitaries.