Piyush Goyal appointed as Leader of House in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Commerce and Textile Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.

The appointment became public after Parliamentary Affair Minister Pralhad Joshi congratulated Mr Goyal for the new role on Twitter on Wednesday.

'Congratulations to @PiyushGoyal ji on being appointed the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. He has been entrusted by PM @narendramodi ji with key responsibility. Wishing him continued vigour in the service to the nation (sic),' Mr Joshi wrote on his official Twitter account.

Mr Goyal's appointment came ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament.

Mr Goyal replaced Thawarchand Gehlot, who was recently appointed as the Governor of Karnataka.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi massively rejigged his Cabinet, where he took the Railways portfolio from Mr Joshi and gave it to Ashwini Vaishnaw.

As National Democratic Alliance is not having a clear majority in Rajya Sabha, the new responsibility will not be easy for Mr Joshi as important bills often get stuck in the House of Elders. Earlier, he was the deputy House of the Leader in Rajya Sabha.

The monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 19 and is expected to end on August 13. (UNI)