Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Goyal replaced Thawar Chand Gehlot, who is now the 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 the new Modi Cabinet, Goyal has been appointed as Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles.

“The sixth session of the 17th Lok Sabha will commence on July 19. Subject to exigencies of government business, the session is likely to conclude on August 13,” a Lok Sabha release said.

The Monsoon session is expected to be stormy as the Opposition is expected to attack the BJP-led central government over COVID-19 vaccines, increasing fuel prices and handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders, including JP Nadda, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Arjun Ram Meghwal, V Muraleedharan and Joshi held a meeting on July 13 to discuss matters related to the upcoming Monsoon Session and frame BJP's strategy to counter the opposition.

Two crucial posts were vacated in the two Houses of Parliament by BJP and Congress. BJP announced Piyush Goyal as leader of the house while Congress will hold a meeting in the next 48 hours to find a replacement for Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Sources in the Congress have said that Rahul Gandhi might replace Chowdhury.

Piyush Goyal has played an active part in BJP’s efforts in the Rajya Sabha to negotiate with Opposition parties not aligned with Congress and fence-sitters like BJD, AIADMK, YSRCP.

In fact, despite hostilities between BJP and Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, Goyal had struck a working relationship with TMC leaders both inside Parliament and outside.

Image Source: ANI