The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has decided to constitute a house panel to look into the affairs of clubs in the city, particularly the British era ones, that have a dress code which politicians find unacceptable. Nor surprisingly, this has not gone down well with club committees and members, who resent the State Government interfering in a matter that does not concern it. A ruckus was created in the Assembly by the opposition who felt that disallowing from entering the club on grounds of how he is dressed is unjustified.
Club members feel this is an internal matter. Roop Goklaney, vice president of the Bowring Institute told Deccan Chronicle: “Generally a club is governed by the Co-operative Societies Act. We go as per rules framed by the club and approved by the general body of the club. The rules are framed in accordance with the registrar of co-operative societies.” He said ethnic wear is not an issue because a majority of clubs allow ethnic clothes “because we have to give respect to our culture.” What clubs frown upon, he said, is members or guests wearing slippers to the club. “This particular subject is very delicate and has to be dealt with care. Nobody can stop a person from wearing what they want to wear, but each club has certain rules.”
Pankaj Malhotra, a member of the Bangalore Club, says: “I personally feel that we have our own rules and regulations which should be followed and the State Government should not have any stake in that. Each club has its own rules that they have been following for several decades. The clubs have been a part of Bengaluru since such a long time; the State Government cannot interfere suddenly. If the State Government claims that they gave land to clubs, they should also know that it was given to people who deserved to run these clubs. Moreover, this land was sanctioned several years back. This is just blackmailing.”
On the question of ethnic clothes, he said clubs can work something out “to accommodate ethnic dress on some special occasions.”