Shashi Tharoor once called George Soros ‘old friend, more than investor’, now clarifies, ‘never solicited a penny’

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday denied claims of connections to US investor George Soros and said he “never solicited a penny from him” after social media users resurfaced a 15-year-old tweet in which he referred to the billionaire as an “old friend, more than an investor.”

Soros, 92, is a Hungarian-American hedge fund manager turned philanthropist. He moved to London in 1947, where he studied Philosophy at the London School of Economics and obtained a Master of Science in Philosophy in 1954.

Also Read: BJP’s big claim: Sonia Gandhi linked to organisation financed by George Soros Foundation

In a post on X, Tharoor had written earlier, “Met old friend George Soros, upbeat abt India and curious abt our neighbourhood. He’s far more than an investor: a concerned world citizen.”

Later, clarifiying the matter, Tharoor worte, “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 myself or any institution or cause i supported.”

He added, “I only met Mr Soros once more after this tweet, and that was at the home of then-Ambassador and now-BJP Minister @hardeepspuri when i was visiting NY as MoS MEA. 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 Mr Soros 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!”

It all started when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempted to counter Adani bribery allegations by linking Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi with US billionaire George Soros.

In a series of posts on X, the official handle of the BJP, said that Sonia Gandhi, as the Co-President of the Forum of the Democratic Leaders in the Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation, is linked to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation.

I hope this clarifies matters to those misguided enough to make an absurd allegation out of a fifteen-year-old innocuous tweet.

Soros launched his hedge fund in 1973 and became known for his successful currency trades, particularly his bet against the British pound in 1992. Considered one of the pioneers of the modern hedge fund industry, Soros has donated to causes such as human rights, health and education, according to media reports.

(With inputs from agencies)