NEW DELHI, Aug 20: Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha has been appointed Governor of Assam replacing Loknath Mishra. Sinha has been appointed with immediate effect from the date he assumes charge of his office, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.

Sinha's appointment comes at a time when insurgency has resurfaced in the State and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government headed by P K Mahanta is facing flak from the people.

Political circles are however surprised over Sinha's induction as he had joined the BJP after resigning in protest for being superseded by Gen A S Vaidya as Chief of Army Staff in the early 80s. Sinha was appointed India's ambassador to Nepal by the V P Singh govt.

However, he resigned after the fall of the Janata Dal government in 1990 and contested unsuccessfully for the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket. Later he developed a personal rapport with Prime Minister I K Gujral when the latter was External Affairs Minister.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.