Hardeep Puri And Shashi Tharoor Clash Over 2009 Dinner With George Soros

A war of words erupted between Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over a 2009 dinner hosted by Puri in New York. At the time, Puri was serving as India's ambassador to the UN and US billionaire George Soros was among the attendees.

Puri hits out at Tharoor and said Congress leader himself provided the list of invitees for the dinner, which included Soros. He said in a post on X,"In retrospect, it is clear that the name was included because the gentleman in question was among the benefactors of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, and the Minister of State was keen to meet him."

In his X post, Puri said, "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."

"Language has frequently been accorded pride of place amongst major arts of deception.  Some of my friends in the Congress Party excel in obfuscation; but they tweet at their own peril," BJP leader added.

Language has frequently been accorded pride of place amongst major arts of deception.
Some of my friends in the Congress Party excel in obfuscation; but they tweet at their own peril.

I want to take up two issues raised by them.
First - my friend Dr @ShashiTharoor Ji, who was a… pic.twitter.com/sIWc2omjg8 — Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) December 20, 2024

On Saturday, Tharoor responded on X, challenging Puri's version and accusing the BJP of exaggerating. "Our memories differ, dear Hardeep," he wrote on X adding, "There were several guests 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. 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.  

.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… — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 21, 2024

Controversy sparked after BJP worker highlighted a 2009 tweet in which Tharoor referred to Soros as an "old friend" and praised his interest in India.

Tharoor responded on X and said, I only met Mr Soros once more after this tweet, and that was at the home of then-Ambassador and now-BJP Minister Hardeep Singh Puri when i was visiting NY as MoS MEA. Amb Puri had invited a number of prominent Americans for a dinner discussion with me"

Since there is so much unhealthy curiosity about this tweet, I knew Mr Soros well in my @UN 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… https://t.co/c1PmAHygyl — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 15, 2024