Union minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as the leader of the house in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Goyal replaces Thawar Chand Gehlot, who moved to Karnataka as the governor of the state following the recent cabinet reshuffle.
The appointment also takes significance as the monsoon session of Parliament is set to commence on July 19. It will conclude on August 13.
Goyal has been a member of the upper house of the parliament since 2010. Until now, he was the deputy leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Rajya Sabha. He holds key portfolios in the cabinet including commerce and industry, food and consumer affairs.
After the recent rejig in the Union cabinet, Goyal was given additional charge of textiles. Prior to becoming a minister in 2014, Goyal was the treasurer of the party. He was also engaged by the BJP in poll management activities and logistics during the election.
According to reports, other names that were considered for the post of floor leader includes labour minister Bhupendra Yadav and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Meanwhile, parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi has called an all-party meeting ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. This meeting is scheduled to be held on July 18, in which the central government will appeal to the opposition parties for the smooth functioning of the house.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi has called an all-party meeting ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. This meeting is scheduled to be held on July 18, in which the central government will appeal to the opposition parties for the smooth functioning of the house.
{{/usCountry}}It is to be noted that the monsoon session of Parliament will last for a total of 26 days, but excluding holidays, it will work for only 19 days. In these 19 days, the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing to present 30 bills on the table of Parliament. Out of these 17 bills are new and the rest are amendment bills.