filbet Shashi Tharoor Vs Hardeep Singh Puri: A Saga Of Dinner Invitation And George Soros

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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday responded to allegations by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri regarding a 2009 dinner in New York that allegedly witnessed George Soros' presence. Puri has accused Tharoor of ensuring that the US billionaire takes part in the gathering.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, Tharoor, disputed the minister's allegation and claimed their recollections of the dinner significantly differ.

Responding to the controversy on social media, he wrote on microblogging website X, "Our recollections differ, dear Hardeep. There were several guests present at your well-attended dinner whom I had never met before. But I am not objecting; it is entirely appropriate that on such an occasion the Indian Ambassador should have a guest-list spanning a wide cross-section of influential international and local opinion."

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He further said, “I see no reason for either of us to disavow our contacts with anyone at the earlier stages of our lives in New York or Geneva." He was eferencing the wide range of people who attended the event.

Tharoor also denied any prior knowledge of George Soros’s connections to India. "Incidentally, since you mention it, I was completely unaware of any Mr. Soros having any connection to any foundation in India—and have never discussed it with him either." He recalled that Soros’ main point of discussion at the dinner was his "strong objection to our Government’s stand on the West’s responsibility for global warming."

“The final was really intense; the Chinese were breathing down our necks throughout the game and made it really difficult for us to create a clear goal scoring chance,” Harmanpreet said in a Hockey India release.

Puri’s Allegation

Minister Puri, who was India’s Ambassador to the UN at the time, offered a different narrative. He confirmed hosting the dinner for Tharoor but claimed that the guest list, which included Soros, had been provided by the Congress leader himself.

"My friend Dr. Shashi Tharoor Ji, who was a student in St Stephen’s College in DU when I was a member of the teaching faculty, had arrived in New York as MoS External Affairs shortly after I was posted as India’s Ambassador & Permanent Representative at UN. I hosted him and his companion at a briefing breakfast on 11 October 2009, and then for dinner on the evening of 12 October 2009," he wrote on X.

He further clarified, “Since I was just a few months old in the city then, but Dr. Tharoor had spent considerable time in New York, I did not choose the list of invitees for the dinner. It was given to me by Minister Tharoor.”

He reiterated that Tharoor had met Soros in May 2009 and had tweeted about it.

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“I clearly remember bringing it up with the then Minister, who had also met him in May 2009 and even tweeted about it. That is the only time in my life when I met Mr. Soros,” Puri added.

When Tharoor posted about the dinner, Puri recounted, he called him on December 15, "to remind him of the context". He mentioned that Tharoor did not respond to his call, which he noted was unusual, as Tharoor was generally quick to reply.

Puri suggested that Soros’ inclusion on the guest list was likely due to his connection to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, with the Minister of State eager to meet him.

The Bigger Picture

This dispute between Tharoor and Puri comes amid broader political tensions. BJP leaders recently accused Ex-Congress President Sonia Gandhi, of working with George Soros, whom the BJP claims is trying to destabilise India’s democratic institutions. The BJP has also alleged that the Congress may be benefiting from Soros’ financial support in its political campaigns.

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George Soros has long been an outspoken critic of the Narendra Modi government.filbet