Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met economist Ashok Lahiri, currently a BJP MLA from Bengal’s Balurghat, a day after he was named NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman.
According to a notification issued by the Centre on Friday, Lahiri, a former chief economic adviser of India, was appointed vice-chairman of the government think tank alongside a new set of full-time members: Rajiv Gauba, KV Raju, Gobardhan Das, Dr. M Srinivas and Abhay Karandikar.
His appointment — along with Das — come at a time when the BJP is in a battle with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
Lahiri, a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission who has held roles with global financial institutions, is one of the BJP’s more recognisable Bengali leaders. An alumnus of Delhi School of Economics and Presidency University, Lahiri has also worked with Asian Development Bank, World Bank and IMF.
Government officials said that Modi, during the meeting, underscored the central role of NITI Aayog in driving reform, innovation and cooperative federalism.
Lahiri meeting with PM Modi was seen as an administrative reset and a political signal, with the BJP foregrounding a prominent Bengali face as West Bengal’s assembly polls approach the second phase. Lahiri is not contesting the ongoing Assembly election in the state.
Officials, who requested anonymity, described Lahiri’s appointment as a move aimed at “strengthening policy design” and “execution through domain expertise.”
The outgoing Niti Aayog vice-chairperson is Suman Bery. A policy economist and research administrator, Bery took over NITI Aayog leadership in May 2022. At the time of his appointment, he was a Global Fellow in the Asia Programme of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington; and a non-resident fellow at Bruegel, an economic policy research institution in Brussels. He was also a member of the board of the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, New Delhi.
