Azad, Beig, Ravinder Raina in list of 53 living in govt houses holding no official position

Srinagar : At least 53 politicians are currently occupying government accommodation holding no constitutional or official position in Jammu and Kashmir.

The politicians include Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ravinder Raina, Imran Raza Ansari, Muzafar Hussain Beigh, GM Saroori, Shafiq Mir,Hakeem Mohammad Yasin (PDP) People’s Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone, M Y Tarigami (CPM), Abdul Rahim Rather (NC), Sofi Yousaf (BJP), Ab Majid Padder (J&K Apni Party), Zaffar Iqbal Manhas (J&K Apni Party), Nizam-u-Din Bhat (People’s Conference), Abdul Gani Vakil (People’s Conference), Surinder Ambardar (BJP), Raja Manzoor (J&K Apni Party), Bashir Ahmed Dar (People’s Conference), Vikram Randhawa (BJP), Haji Abdul Rashid (Democratic Progressive Azad Party), Yasir Reshi (People’s Conference), Abdul Rahim Rather (National Conference), Mohd Amin Bhat (Democratic Progressive Azad Party), Shoaib Nabi Lone (Democratic Progressive Azad Party) and Mohammad Abbas (Peoples Conference).

Others include former MP Fayaz Ahmed Mir, besides Muzaffar Shah (Awami National Conference), Sonaullah Lone, Zahid Hussain Jan, S S Channi (Congress), and Reyaz Ahmed Mir (all politicians).

In Jammu, the list includes Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar (former NC MLA); Ravinder Sharma (ex-Congress MLC); BJP leaders Bali Bhagat (a prominent Dalit face), Sat Sharma (former J&K BJP chief), Neelam Langeh, Daleep Singh Parihar, R S Pathania, Vibodh Gupta, Pardeep Sharma, and Shilpi Verma (whose husband Kuldeep Raj died by suicide in July 2008 reportedly in protest against withdrawal of some land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board; the agitation had created a wave in favour of the BJP). [KNT]