In a significant development, Ashok Kumar Lahiri, an outgoing West Bengal BJP MLA and renowned economist, is set to become the next vice-chairman of NITI Aayog. This appointment will position him as the de facto head of the government’s key policy think tank, succeeding Suman Bery. Notably, Gobardhan Das, a distinguished immunologist and academic, will also be joining NITI Aayog as a member.
Adding a Bengal touch, Gobardhan Das, who previously contested the West Bengal Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, will bring his expertise to NITI Aayog. Lahiri, representing Balurghat in the current Bengal Assembly, boasts an illustrious career in economics, having served as the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India and held various key positions globally.
With Lahiri’s extensive experience and Das’s expertise in molecular science, immunology, and infectious diseases, their inclusion in NITI Aayog underscores a significant representation of Bengalis in the nation’s top policy-making body. This move is seen as a nod to Bengal’s intellectual and policy prowess and a strategic step for the BJP in countering the dominance of the All India Trinamool Congress in the state.
