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Mathur will be new Governor of Assam

Photo:Gopal Sungar

Senior Congress leader Shiv Charan Mathur at his residence after he was appointed the new Governor of Assam, in Jaipur on Thursday.

JAIPUR: Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Shiv Charan Mathur will be the next Governor of Assam.

Mr. Mathur, presently a member of the Rajasthan Assembly representing Mandalgarh in Bhilwara district, has been informed of his new assignment.

He is likely to assume charge on July 4.

Mr. Mathur, who represented Bhilwara in the Lok Sabha in the past, is a known exponent of the Nehruvian model of development. He was Chief Minister of Rajasthan twice—from July 14, 1981, to February 23, 1985, and from January 20, 1988, to December 4, 1989.

With his new assignment Mr. Mathur will join the league of politicians from Rajasthan such as Nawal Kishore Sharma (Gujarat) and Balram Jakhar (Madhya Pradesh) who are Governors. Retired bureaucrat B. L. Joshi, another Rajasthani, is presently the Governor of Uttarakhand.

Reports about Mr. Mathur’s new assignment have been floating around for some time as the Congress is getting ready to fight the Rajasthan Assembly elections due in November.

The party obviously needs to keep some senior leaders engaged elsewhere.

“Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is a friend. I have been to that State several times and am familiar with the situation there,” said Mr. Mathur, who two days ago led a delegation of Congress leaders from Rajasthan to meet party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.

Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Mathur said, “I will explore the great potential Assam holds in the energy sector.” Mr. Mathur, who never tires when it comes to exploitation of hydrocarbons, be it Rajasthan or the North-East, added, “Assam is rich in oil deposits, coal and agricultural produce such as tea.” he noted.

The Brahmaputra river is another area which could be exploited for tourism promotion and wealth generation, he pointed out.

Asked about the new assignment taking him away from his political activities and the home turf, Mr. Mathur quipped, “Can the politician be ever separated from politics?”

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