He served as Union Minister of State for the Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) from 1991 to 1995, then as Union Minister of State for Textiles (Independent Charge) from 1995 to 1996. He was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 and the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999. From 2001 to 2004, he was the General Secretary of the INC. He was re-elected to the 14th Lok Sabha in the 2004 elections and has served as Union Cabinet Minister of Commerce & Industry from 2004 to 2009. On May 16, 2009 - he again won the elections from his constituency for the 15th Lok Sabha and re entered the Cabinet, this time as Union Minster for Road Transport and Highways. He was shunted out of the Surface transport ministry to the Urban Development ministry in a Cabinet... Read More