Jaitley, Tharoor back Gita Gopinath's appointment as Kerala CM's advisor

The Left in Kerala may not fully appreciate Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's selection of a Harvard professor Gita Gopinath as his economic advisor, due to her perceived 'neo-liberal' leanings. Veteran Communist VS Achuthanandan even wrote a letter to the CPM central leadership against the appointment.  But on Friday, Vijayan received support from Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in the matter. 
 

Also read: Kerala's Left in a tizzy over choice of 'neo-lib' economist as CM advisor
 

Vijayan was at the Central Hall of the Parliament on Friday where he met Jaitley, and both leaders had an informal chat. The union minister appreciated the Chief Minister's decision to appoint an economic advisor and said that Gopinath was a good choice. Praising the Harvard professor's  competence, Jaitley stated that she was capable of infusing novel ideas into governance. In his curt response, Vijayan said that Gopinath had roots in Kerala. 
 

Also read: 'Humbled' Gita Gopinath responds to controversy
 

 Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor also backed the appointment of Gopinath. She could help the state formulate long-term policies for development, he said.

The appointment of the economic advisor to Kerala Chief Minister had kicked up a controversy in the Left with former Chief Minister and CPM leader VS Achuthanandan writing a letter against it to the central leadership of the party. The CPM politburo is likely to discuss the letter on Saturday. 

• Gita Gopinath
• Kerala Chief MInister's economic advisor
• Arun Jaitley