Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has declined the Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025, taking a sharp swipe at the organisers for announcing his name without prior consent. Tharoor said he was neither informed about the honour nor provided clarity on the nature of the award or the organisation presenting it.

Tharoor cites lack of clarity, calls announcement ‘irresponsible’

Tharoor said he first heard about the award through media reports while he was in Kerala. Responding to questions on whether he would attend the ceremony, he made it clear that he had not agreed to receive the award at any stage.
He later reiterated online that without details about the award or the NGO behind it, “the question of attending or accepting it does not arise.”

The award — instituted by the High Range Rural Development Society (HRDS) — was to be presented at an event inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi. Tharoor was named the inaugural recipient.

Calling out the organisers, he said it was “irresponsible” to publicise his name without confirmation.

Congress leaders term award unacceptable

Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said that no party member should accept an award named after Veer Savarkar, arguing it would “embarrass the Congress.”
The BJP and its ideological allies regard Savarkar as a revolutionary figure, while the Congress has consistently questioned his legacy.

Tharoor, however, refrained from commenting on Savarkar, though his refusal indicates a line he is unwilling to cross despite recent tensions with his party.

Recent remarks kept Tharoor in spotlight

Tharoor has lately drawn attention for comments perceived as critical of Congress functioning, including his remarks about disruptions in Parliament. Yet, he said he remains committed to the party.
“I went to great trouble to get elected… it would take considerable thought to be anything else,” he told media recently.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi were locked in a sharp confrontation in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing debate on electoral reforms. The exchange intensified when Gandhi challenged the Home minister to engage in a direct debate over his press conferences alleging irregularities in voter lists.

Shah counters allegations over voter rolls

During his address, Amit Shah criticised the Opposition for raising doubts about existing voter lists while simultaneously objecting to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He remarked that concerns over voter rolls often emerged only when the Opposition performed poorly in elections. Taking aim at Gandhi’s earlier briefings on alleged discrepancies—one of which had been described as a “Hydrogen Bomb”—Shah accused certain political families of practicing “generational vote theft”.

As Gandhi intervened, demanding Shah explain the immunity provided to Election Commissioners and challenging him to debate the content of his press conferences, the Home minister firmly stated that Parliament would not run as per Gandhi’s directions and that he would decide the order of his responses.

Rahul Gandhi accuses Home minister of avoiding key questions

Unconvinced by Shah’s reply, Gandhi labelled the minister’s remarks “defensive and fearful”. Shah responded that he would not be provoked and asserted that “vote theft” happens when electoral mandates are overturned.

Attack on Nehru-Gandhi family escalates tensions

Amit Shah intensified his criticism by invoking historical examples. He claimed the first instance of “vote theft” occurred during the selection of India’s first Prime Minister, alleging that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had secured more votes than Jawaharlal Nehru from provincial Congress units. Shah also referenced the 1975 court verdict that struck down Indira Gandhi’s election from Rae Bareli, calling the events that followed a major attempt at “vote theft”.

He further mentioned a court case alleging that Sonia Gandhi had cast a vote before becoming an Indian citizen—a point immediately contested by Congress MPs.

Opposition walks out after EVM, SIR remarks

Shah asserted that the Opposition’s objections to Electronic Voting Machines and resistance to SIR were attempts to retain ineligible names, including illegal immigrants, on voter lists. This led to a walkout by Opposition MPs.

Outside Parliament, Gandhi reiterated that the minister had not addressed core issues such as transparency in voter lists, clarity on the EVM architecture, or the evidence he presented in his press conferences.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the governing trust of the Tirumala temple, is facing serious questions after an internal vigilance probe uncovered a Rs 54 crore scandal involving fake silk dupattas supplied between 2015 and 2025. The inquiry revealed that the contractor had allegedly passed off 100% polyester material as pure mulberry silk, violating tender norms and causing massive financial loss to the temple trust.

How the large-scale fraud was uncovered

According to the vigilance findings, a single contractor and its sister firms were involved in supplying dupattas meant for donors and temple rituals. Despite the tender mandate requiring pure mulberry silk, the firm consistently delivered polyester products while billing the temple trust at silk prices.

The probe, launched after concerns were raised by TTD Chairman BR Naidu, found that a dupatta costing around Rs 350 was billed at Rs 1,300, inflating costs across ten years. Samples sent for scientific testing—including to a Central Silk Board laboratory—confirmed the material was polyester.

Officials also flagged that the mandatory silk hologram used to verify authenticity was missing from the samples.

TTD cancels tenders, refers case to ACB

After receiving the vigilance report, the TTD Trust Board cancelled all existing tenders linked to the firm and transferred the matter to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for further investigation.

Chairman BR Naidu said the total supplies during the period exceeded Rs 50 crore and emphasised the need for a thorough ACB probe.

Another controversy for the temple administration

The dupatta scam adds to a list of procurement-related concerns that have recently surfaced at the temple. Earlier, controversies related to alleged adulteration of ghee used in laddu prasadam and the Parakamani (hundi counting) theft case had raised alarms over internal oversight.

With recurring procurement lapses, pressure is mounting on the temple administration to tighten its auditing and vendor scrutiny mechanisms.