Vikrant Shekhawat : Jul 14, 2021, 05:57 PM
New Delhi: Union Minister of Textiles Piyush Goyal has been appointed the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Goyal replaced Thawar Chand Gehlot, who took oath recently as the 19th Governor of Karnataka.Goyal's appointment came ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, which will begin on 19 July and will conclude on 13 August.In view of the ongoing coronavirus situation, all arrangements to adhere to preventive norms will be followed during the monsoon session, assured Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during a press conference in the national capital.Goyal, who holds key portfolios in the government, has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2010.BJP was without a Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha after Gehlot was appointed as Karnataka Governor.In the last two years, Goyal has played an active part in BJP's efforts in the Upper House of the Parliament to negotiate with Opposition parties not aligned with Congress and fence-sitters like BJD, AIADMK, YSRCP.Goyal on 8 July took charge as the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles."I would like to express my gratitude to PM Modi for giving me this responsibility," the minister said.As many as 43 leaders took oath in the first Union Cabinet reshuffle and expansion after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to power for a second term in May 2019.The swearing-in ceremony, which took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan amid coronavirus norms, came days ahead of the monsoon session of parliament.