Piyush Goyal is new Consumer Affairs Minister

With the death of 74-year-old union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, railways minister Piyush Goyal will be given additional duty of handling the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution confirmed Rashtrapathi Bhavan on Friday. Goyal is also currently the minister of Commerce and Industry.

Goyal, Modi, JP Nadda and many other prominent BJP leaders were present at the residence of Paswan on Friday after his mortal remains were shifted from the hospital.

Paswan passed away on Thursday after a heart surgery. The leader who hailed from Bihar will be cremated in Patna today and will be given a state funeral. Many prominent leaders from across India had paid their tributes to Paswan who worked shoulder-to-shoulder for uplifting those from under-privileged backgrounds, especially from backward communities. Paswan is also the founder of Lok Janashakti party and has been a home minister for many times after his party’s coalition with BJP and Congress parties.

Paswan passed days before the upcoming Bihar elections which is going to be a crucial turning point for his son Chirag Paswan.