'Good riddance' – Kerala Congress' 'WhatsApp University' jab at Krishnamurthy Subramanian after IMF ouster

Krishnamurthy Subramanian

Day after India announced immediate termination of Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian from his post at the International Monetary Fund, the Kerala Congress dubbed the move as ‘good riddance.’

In a post on X, the Kerala unit of main opposition party slammed Dr Subramanian’s $55 trillion GDP calculation as ‘nonsense’. Lauding the Centre’s decision, Kerala Congress said that “We are glad that the government has finally realised the embarrassment he could cause, even by their standards.”

Esteemed WhatsApp University professor, who is India's representative at IMF, removed as Executive Director six months before his tenure ends.Remember his $55 trillion GDP calculation nonsense and defending the current GDP formula? We are glad that the government has finally pic.twitter.com/gLrRvneBjp
Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) May 4, 2025

Taking a swipe at the economist, Kerala Congress said “Now Mr. Subramanian can return to WhatsApp University as a full-time faculty.”

On Saturday, the Centre had announced the termination of Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian as Executive Director (India) from the global financial body. While approving the termination, the  Appointment Committee of the Cabinet did not list out any specific reason.

However, several media reports said that there maybe two plausible reasons – one – the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. The IMF is set to meet on May 9 to discuss the financial crisis in Pakistan.

Second, there are reports that say the officials at IMF were not particularly impressed with Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian’s sustained scrutiny of credibility of datasets by the IMF. Also, his book- India@100: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Economic Powerhouse – also raised some eyebrows. Many felt that there was ‘potential impropriety’ during the publicity of this book.