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Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday clarified that he knew George Soros in a "social sense", after a 15-year-old post in which he called the US businessman his "old friend" resurfaced and was widely circulated.
Taking to his official X account, the Lok Sabha MP said he knew Mr Soros "well in his days as the 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," Mr Tharoor 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 Puri when I was visiting New York as MoS MEA (Minister of State for External Affairs). Amb Puri had invited a number of prominent Americans for a dinner discussion with me (and that was entirely appropriate)," he added.
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
He said he has not been in touch with the 94-year-old US investor since, "nor be with me, and my old relationship never had any political connotations".
"I hope this clarifies matters to those misguided enough to make an absurd allegation out of a fifteen-year-old innocuous tweet. But knowing how the troll factory works. I have no doubt it won't," the Congress MP said.
Row Over Shashi Tharoor's Post On George Soros
In a post on May 26, 2009, Shashi Tharoor said he met his "old friend" George Soros, who is "far more" than an investor and is a "concerned" citizen.
Met old friend George Soros, upbeat abt India and curious abt our neighbourhood. He's far more than an investor: a concerned world citizen
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 26, 2009
The BJP, which has been targeting the Congress leadership over alleged links with Mr Soros, cited the tweet to reinforce its allegations.
The ruling party has been alleging that senior Congress leaders, are in league with the billionaire investor to destabilise the country. As evidence, the party has cited the Forum of Democratic Leaders - Asia Pacific, to which former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is linked.