'Never received a penny from him': Shashi Tharoor clarifies old tweet on 'friend George Soros'

NEW DELHI: Days after BJP cited an old tweet from Shashi Tharoor to allege Congress leadership of having links to George Soros, Tharoor said he knew the US investor as a friend in the "social sense".

Congress MP claimed that the last time he met the US investor George Soros was at Union minister Hardeep Puri’s residence in New York when he was a diplomat.

Thiruvananthapuram MP took to X and issued this “clarification” after an earlier post of his calling Soros a "friend" stirred the pot.

“Since there is so much unhealthy curiosity about this tweet, I knew Soros well in my United Nation days as an upstanding international-minded resident of New York. He was a friend in the social sense: I have never received or solicited a penny from him or any of his foundations for myself or any institution or cause I supported,” the Congress MP said on Sunday.



Seeking to clarify, Shashi Tharoor said, “After that tweet, I met George Soros only one more time, and it was during a visit to New York when I was the minister of state for external affairs. The meeting took place at the residence of Hardeep Singh Puri, who was then India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and is now a BJP minister.”

Tharoor further explained that Ambassador Puri had organised a dinner discussion, inviting several prominent Americans. "Amb Puri had invited a number of prominent Americans for a dinner discussion with me (and that was entirely appropriate). I have not been in touch with Soros since, nor be with me, and my old relationship never had any political connotations," he said.

Addressing the controversy, the Congress MP expressed hope that his explanation would clear the air around “absurd allegation based on a a fifteen-year-old innocuous tweet”. However, he acknowledged online trolling, saying, “But knowing how the troll factory works. I have no doubt it won’t!"

Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh reacting to Shashi Tharoor said, "(Har)Deep State".



The war of words erupted inside and outside Parliament last week after BJP leaders accused Gandhis of being aligned with the US investor. BJP also alleged that the Congress party was provided funds for political campaigns with Soros’s financial support. In response, Congress has asserted that the BJP’s allegations is aimed at diverting attention from the US allegation in Adani bribery.

Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.