G. M. Saroori
{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = G. M. Saroori
| caption = G.M. Saroori speaking on "PM’s New 15 Point Programme Welfare of Minorities", at the Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign, in Kishtwar, Doda, Jammu & Kashmir on 2 September 2006
| image = G.M. Saroori speaking on “PM’s New 15 Point Programme Welfare of Minorities”, at the Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign, in Kishtwar, Doda, Jammu & Kashmir on September 02, 2006.jpg
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|01|01|df=yes}}{{cite web |title=Ghulam Muhammad Saroori, INC MLA from Inderwal – Our Neta |url=https://ourneta.com/neta/ghulam-muhammad-saroori/ |website=Ourneta.com |access-date=15 January 2023}}
| birth_place = Sarthal, Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| residence = *Kishtwar, Kishtwar district
- Prem Nagar, Jammu
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| office = Cabinet Minister, Government of Jammu and Kashmir
| children = 3
| term_start = 11 July 2009
| term_end = 26 August 2010
| governor = N. N. Vohra
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = Omar Abdullah
| 2blankname = Ministry and Departments
| 2namedata = * Mechanical Engineering
- Roads & Buildings
| predecessor = Omar Abdullah
| successor = Omar Abdullah{{cite web|url=http://jkgad.nic.in/common/showOrder.aspx?actCode=O9444|title=Allotment of Portfolio|work=General Administration Department, Government of Jammu & Kashmir|date=27 August 2010|access-date=31 August 2022}}
| office1 = Minister of State, Government of Jammu and Kashmir
| term_start1 = 1 January 2008
| term_end1 = 11 July 2008
| governor1 = S. K. Sinha
N. N. Vohra
| 1blankname1 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata1 = Ghulam Nabi Azad
| 2blankname1 = Ministry and Departments
| 2namedata1 = * Tourism
- Forest
- School Education
- Social Welfare
- Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution
| office2 = MLA of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
| constituency2 = Inderwal
| term_start2 = 2002
| term_end2 = 2018
| predecessor2 = Qazi Jalaluddin{{cite news|url=https://www.thenewsnow.co.in/newsdet.aspx?q=21790|title=Here is an alternative assembly: 81 in number, growing in size, ideas; looking at inclusive role|work=The News Now|author=Zafar Choudhary|date=10 February 2017|access-date=30 August 2022}}
| successor2 = Payare Lal Sharma
| party = Independent
| otherparty = Indian National Congress (until 2022)
| awards = Best Legislators Award 2014—15{{cite news | title=Zulfkar, Haq, Saroori conferred with Best Legislators Award | url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/zulfkar-haq-saroori-conferred-with-best-legislators-award-247752 |date = 7 Jun 2016 |work=The Tribune| access-date=16 Jun 2020 }}
| website =
| footnotes =
| date = |
| year = |
| source =
}}
Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, also known as G. M. Saroori, is an Indian politician and a former legislator of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, who represented Inderwal constituency of Kishtwar district from 2002 to 2018 until the coalition government was ended in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.{{Cite web|url=https://myneta.info/jk2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=24|title=Ghulam Mohd. Saroori (Indian National Congress(INC)):Constituency- INDERWAL(KISHTWAR) - Affidavit Information of Candidate|website=myneta.info}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/jk-nia-summons-senior-congress-leader-ghulam-mohammad-saroori-803321.html|title=J&K: NIA summons senior Congress leader Ghulam Mohammad Saroori|date=10 February 2020|website=Deccan Herald}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/bjp-pdp-alliance-in-jk-an-experiment-that-ended-when-mehbooba-mufti-delayed-rural-poll-pm-modi-2095203.html|title=BJP-PDP Alliance in J&K an 'Experiment', Ended When Mehbooba Mufti Delayed Panchayat Poll: PM Modi|website=News18|date=9 April 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/nia-summons-senior-jammu-and-kashmir-congress-leader-gm-saroori-1644987-2020-02-10|title=NIA summons senior Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader GM Saroori|first=Kamaljit Kaur|last=Sandhu|date=10 February 2020|website=India Today}}
Saroori was affiliated with Indian National Congress until August 2022 and had also served as its vice-president. In 2008, he was appointed a Minister of State for Tourism, Forest, School Education, Social Welfare and Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution. He also served as the Minister for Mechanical Engineering and Roads & Buildings from 2009 to 2010.{{Cite web|url=https://mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Ministers.pdf|title=List of ministers in Ministry of Home affairs Government of India }}
Early life
Ghulam Mohammad Saroori was born to Saidullah Saroori, who served as the sarpanch of the Sarthal panchayat for 32 years. He worked for the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department for two months before becoming a businessman alongside his father. He and his family migrated to Kishtwar between 1992 and 1993 due to the militancy in the region.{{cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/jk-cong-leader-probed-by-nia-says-nothing-to-hide-denies-link-with-hizbul-terrorist-120021200765_1.html|title=JK Cong leader probed by NIA says nothing to hide, denies link with Hizbul terrorist|work=Press Trust of India|publisher=Business Standard|date=12 February 2020|access-date=30 August 2022}} He fathered one daughter and one son, named Huma Tabassum and Muneeb Ahmed, respectively.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/cbi-challans-ascoms-impersonation-scam/|title=CBI challans ASCOMS impersonation scam|work=Daily Excelsior|date=29 August 2012|access-date=31 August 2022}}
Political career
Saroori became associated with Nirmala Deshpande who was a social worker and Gandhian.
He first contested in the assembly elections as an independent candidate from the Inderwal Assembly constituency in 1996, losing by nearly 200 votes.{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/team-ghulam-nabi-azad-upper-castes-dalit-gujjar-jammu-kashmir-congress-8118177/|title=Team Ghulam Nabi Azad: Former ministers to ex-MLAs, upper castes to Dalit and Gujjar faces, J&K Congress leaders who have rallied behind him|first=Arun|last=Sharma|work=The Indian Express|date=29 August 2022|access-date=30 August 2022}} He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly consecutively in the 2002, 2008 and 2014 elections as a member of the Indian National Congress.{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/jk-nia-summons-senior-congress-leader-ghulam-mohammad-saroori-803321.html|title=J&K: NIA summons senior Congress leader Ghulam Mohammad Saroori|author=Zulfikar Majid|work=Deccan Herald|date=10 February 2020|access-date=30 August 2022}}
On 1 January 2008, he was appointed the Minister of State for Tourism, Forest, School Education, Social Welfare and Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution under the state government of Ghulam Nabi Azad.{{cite news|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jan/01jk.htm|title=J&K cabinet expanded|author=Mukhtar Ahmad|work=Rediff.com|date=1 January 2008|access-date=30 August 2022}}{{cite news|url=http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=27044|title=Saroori visits far flung areas of Bhalessa|work=Early Times|date=30 May 2008|access-date=30 August 2022}} He played a key role in defusing the communal tension after the theft of an idol from the Mata Sarthal Devi Mandir by getting the culprits arrested.
Saroori was appointed the Minister for Roads & Buildings and Mechanical Engineering under the coalition government of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference and Congress led by Omar Abdullah on 11 July 2009.{{cite news|url=https://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jul/11/omar-abdullah-expands-jk-cabinet.htm|title=Omar Abdullah expands J&K cabinet|author=Mukhtar Ahmad|work=Rediff.com|date=11 July 2009|access-date=30 August 2022}} He was asked by the Congress to resign from his post after a scandal involving the alleged use of an impersonator appearing on his daughter's behalf in an examination, but he ignored it and left for Jeddah to perform umrah on 25 August 2010. The state government decided to dismiss him on the following day.{{cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2010/aug/26/saroori-sacked-over-impersonation-row-181448.html|title=Saroori sacked over impersonation row|work=The New Indian Express|date=26 August 2010|access-date=30 August 2022}} He was however cleared of all charges by the Central Bureau of Investigation in August 2012.{{cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/former-cong-minister-given-clean-chit-by-cbi-in-jk-112082800613_1.html|title=Former Cong minister given clean chit by CBI in JK|work=Press Trust of India|date=28 August 2012|access-date=30 August 2022}}
A complaint was lodged with the State Accountability Commission against Saroori in October 2012 over alleged allotments of around 2,000 tenders during his tenure as the Minister of Roads & Buildings.{{cite news|url=http://www.earlytimes.in/m/newsdet.aspx?q=145119|title=SAC registered case in 2012, action awaited|author=Peerzada Ummer|work=Early Times|date=15 March 2015|access-date=31 August 2022}} He was however cleared of all charges in February 2014 as they stemmed from the period of April—June 2009 when Abdullah held the portfolio.{{cite news|url=https://kashmirlife.net/saroori-accuses-omar-of-allotting-2000-works-without-tendering-53703/|title=Saroori accuses Omar of allotting 2000 works without tendering|author=Muhammad Raafi|work=Kashmir Life|date=6 February 2014|access-date=31 August 2022}}
Saroori was appointed a vice-president for the state unit of the Congress in March 2015.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/new-pcc-office-bearers-announced/|title=New PCC office bearers announced|work=Daily Excelsior|date=28 March 2015|access-date=30 August 2022}} He was conferred the Best Legislator Award for the year 2014–15 by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in 2016. In February 2020, he was summoned by the National Investigation Agency over allegations of him being linked to a Hizbul Mujahideen commander named Jehangir Saroori.{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nia-summons-j-k-cong-vice-president-gm-saroori-over-kishtwar-terror-cases/story-CW5kRu9GVVqkHykBmk0ugJ.html|title=NIA summons J-K Cong vice president GM Saroori over Kishtwar terror cases|author=Ravi Krishnan Khajuria|work=The Indian Express|date=10 February 2020|access-date=30 August 2022}} He was later exonerated by the agency.
Saroori quit the Congress along with seven other leaders on 26 August 2022 after the resignation of Azad from the party.{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/8-jammu-and-kashmir-congress-leaders-quit-in-support-of-azad-more-resignations-likely-101661551029750.html|title=8 J&K Congress leaders quit in support of Azad, more resignations likely|work=Hindustan Times|date=27 August 2022|access-date=30 August 2022}} He joined the Democratic Azad Party launched by Azad on 26 September 2022.{{cite news|url=https://theprint.in/india/azad-elected-chairman-of-democratic-azad-party/1150549/|title=Azad elected chairman of Democratic Azad Party|work=Press Trust of India|date=1 October 2022|access-date=5 October 2022}} He lost his seat in 2024.
References
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Category:People from Kishtwar district
Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Jammu and Kashmir
Category:20th-century Indian politicians
Category:21st-century Indian politicians
Category:Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 2002–2008