Next meeting of committee in two weeks
Santosh Hegde former Lokayukta
Bengaluru: The unrelenting feud between the state government and the city's private clubs has hit a new low, with caste reservation emerging as the state's latest threat to get the city's private clubs to fall in line and give them membership.
Sources from the House committee regarding the Working Style of Clubs in the state said that caste reservation for memberships will be discussed at the next House Committee meeting.
The state has had a number of tricks up its sleeve with regard to gaining control over privately-run clubs, including the dress codes that they claim fail to promote Kannada culture, alleged discrimination against MLAs who were denied memberships - a senior minister was turned down twice - and the cost of the membership fee. In a bid to cow them down, liquor licenses, commercial activity on club premises and title deeds have all been brought under scrutiny.
The spirit of spurned MLAs and MPs who have been denied entry into clubs appears fairly obvious, to club administrations and to frustrated citizens alike. In its 11-page letter to the government, which details its objections to the proposed law, the Bangalore Club administration's letter acerbically remarks, "It is clear that the primary intention of this proposed legislation is to overcome the strict rules and regulations that we are governed by and to create a tangential route to membership for legislators and others into recreational clubs in Karnataka."
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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