The controversy over appointment of economist Gita Gopinath as financial adviser to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has reached the doorstep of the CPM central leadership. Veteran party leader V S Achuthanandan has written to the CPM brass, questioning Gopinath’s appointment and seeking the party leadership’s intervention in the matter. The CPM Politburo is to meet over the weekend and sources said general secretary Sitaram Yechury would have to place Achuthanandan’s letter before it. It is not clear whether the Politburo, of which Vijayan is a member, will discuss the issue. The appointment of Gopinath, a professor at Harvard University, had triggered a political controversy as she is seen in the Left circles as an advocate of neo-liberal economic policies. The CPM veteran is learnt to have argued that her views on economy run contrary to the positions taken by the party. Achuthanandan, sources said, has also claimed that Gopinath was appointed without a discussion within the party. However, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told mediapersons that Gopinath was made economic adviser with the knowledge of the party secretariat. Gopinath has already made it clear that she will not relocate to Kerala for her new assignment. “I will continue as a full-time professor at Harvard University and carry on my commitments including research and teaching,” she had said. According to her, she will respond to requests from the CM for advice on the impact on Kerala’s economy of global, national and state events and policies. She had also said that she hopes to play a convening role to connect various state departments to the knowledge leaders from around the world in sectors relevant to Kerala.
