Nearly two months after she was appointed the economic advisor to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Gita Gopinath arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
This is the first time since her appointment that Gita, the head of the Department of Economics at Harvard University, has visited the state.
Refusing to divulge any crucial information, Gita told the media that she will hold discussions with the Chief Minister and two other senior officials in the state government.
“I don’t wish to specifically say what we’ll discuss; the government will announce whatever they wish to. But we are all working on the main issues on Kerala and hopefully there will be some good solutions,” Gita told journalists in Thiruvananthapuram.
Gita Gopinath speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram/Screengrab from Asianet News
Gita’s appointment in July had attracted severe criticism from various quarters, with many alleging that the CPI (M)-led LDF government had lost faith in its Finance Minister Thomas Isaac.
Irked by the government's move, CPI (M) veteran VS Achuthanandan said that Gita’s neo-liberal policies were not in accordance with Left ideology.
He also wrote to the CPI (M) Polit Bureau demanding intervention, but the PB had decided not to intervene in a state government matter. However, it stated that it did not support her appointment.
Days after her appointment sparked controversy, Gita Gopinath had issued a statement clarifying that her position was an honorary one, and that her duty was to advise the Chief Minister and not take policy decisions.