Giriraj Singh Takes Charge As Union Textiles Minister

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Giriraj Singh took charge as Union Minister of Textiles on Tuesday.

He was welcomed into the minister's chamber by Piyush Goyal, who held the portfolio in the previous government, and other top officials of the ministry.

After taking charge of the ministry, Singh said, “Today I have taken the charge. The textile sector is the sector which provides the most jobs...Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, we all will work to take it forward because it is also connected to the farmers.”

Along with Giriraj Singh, Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, Pabitra Margherita also took charge as Minister of State in the Textiles ministry.

Giriraj Singh handled key portfolios in previous BJP governments.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Giriraj Singh won the Begusarai Lok Sabha seat for the second consecutive time. He defeated Communist Party of India leader Abdesh Kumar Roy by 81,480 votes.

Singh served as Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet during his second tenure in 2019.

In 2021, he became Minister of Rural Development and the Minister of Panchayati Raj in the Second Modi Ministry after the Cabinet reshuffle replacing Narendra Singh Tomar.

Singh was a Member of the Bihar Legislative Council from 2002 to May 2014. He served as a Cooperative Minister in Bihar government from 2008 to 2014.

He was also the Minister of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Resources Development, in the Bihar government from 2010 to 2013.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Singh defeated Kanhaiya Kumar, by over four lakh votes.

Pabitra Margherita, who entered the foray of politics in 2014 after joining the BJP, made a significant turn in 2022 when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam.

Margherita, 49, has held various positions within the BJP, serving as its spokesperson for the Assam unit since 2014.

He was also serving as the political secretary to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, further solidifying his role in the state's political landscape. He was also the charge of the party's social media cell in Assam and the zila prabhari (district in-charge) for the Kamrup (North) district BJP unit. (ANI)