Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot was appointed on Tuesday the Leader of the Rajya Sabha, a position occupied in the previous Narendra Modi led government by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley who has had health issues and is currently recovering.
A prominent Dalit face of the BJP, Thawarchand Gehlot is the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in Narendra Modi cabinet. He has held the portfolio since 2014. Thawarchand Gehlot is currently a member of the BJP's parliamentary board.
The 71-year-old leader from Madhya Pradesh has almost four decades of legislative experience. He was a member of the state assembly for several terms and has served in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha.
He is an experienced parliamentarian and a Dalit face of the saffron party. The appointment for the Leader of the Rajya Sabha is made by the party in power at the Centre. Born in Rupeta village in Nagda tehsil of Ujjain district on May 18, 1948, Thawarchand Gehlot graduated from Vikram University, Ujjain.
Thawarchand Gehlot's appointment as the Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha comes after Arun Jaitley's request to step down from key positions in view of his health.
Thawarchand Gehlot had scripted several schemes for the welfare of the deprived sections of the society as well as for the physically-challenged people.
