Puri alleged that George Soros was invited to a 2009 dinner in New York on Tharoor's behest.
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."
He further said, 바카라I 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 Soros바카라s connections to India. "Incidentally, since you mention it, I was completely unaware of any Mr. Soros having any connection to any foundation in India바카라and have never discussed it with him either." He recalled that Soros바카라 main point of discussion at the dinner was his "strong objection to our Government바카라s stand on the West바카라s responsibility for global warming."
Minister Puri, who was India바카라s 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 Stephen바카라s 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 India바카라s 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, 바카라Since 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.바카라
He reiterated that Tharoor had met Soros in May 2009 and had tweeted about it.
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바카라I 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,바카라 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 Soros바카라 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.
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 India바카라s democratic institutions. The BJP has also alleged that the Congress may be benefiting from Soros바카라 financial support in its political campaigns.
George Soros has long been an outspoken critic of the Narendra Modi government.