Kashmir Golf Club polls after 14 years spark political row, BJP vows public access

SRINAGAR: Elections at the Kashmir Golf Club, one of the country’s oldest golf clubs built by the British in 1887, has created a political controversy, with Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the Omar Abdullah government of appeasing the elites. The BJP went to extent saying that if they form the government, they will open it for the general public.

In response,the Peoples Conference said when in power, the BJP and the PDP enjoy all good things in life including golf and it is only when they are out of power, they deride it. The Kashmir Golf Club on MA Road in Srinagar held elections Monday after a gap of 14 years, with a retired high court judge serving as the presiding officer.

Of the club’s 525 members, 282 were eligible to vote after clearing their outstanding subscription dues, but only 229 cast their ballots.“There is no provision for proxy voting, so around 53 members could not vote because they were unavailable, while 243 were ineligible as they had not cleared their dues,” a senior official said. Among those who voted were adviser to the chief minister Nasir Aslam Wani, legislators Peoples Conference Sajad Gani Lone, NC MLA Farooq Shah.

Amin Kathwari, 95, the club’s oldest member, cast his vote with assistance. The club’s 10-member executive body is headed by the chief minister as president, with the chief secretary serving as chairman.

Four members are elected, while the remaining five positions are filled through government nominations. Wani after the polls felicitated the newly elected executive committee of the club at its annual general meeting at SKICC, Srinagar.

He described KGC as a prestigious institution in India’s golfing history and said the elections, held after 14 years, mark an important step towards strengthening its administration and restoring facilities. Wani promised the government’s support for upgrading the club, calling it a historical institution.

In response to it the PDP leader Iltija Mufti said, “If the people have no bread let them eat cake. An ordinary Kashmiri struggles with electricity bills & unemployment merely trying to just survive.

I’m baffled by this government’s priorities which show a callous disregard for common people.”While the BJP state spokesperson Danish Bhat alleged that Omar Abdullah government has miserably failed to fulfil its manifesto promises and deliver meaningful relief to the common people as “it remains busy taking part in marathons and holding elections for the elite Kashmir Golf Club.”“The Abdullahs have always represented the politics of the elites, by the elites and for the elites. When the BJP forms the government in Jammu & Kashmir, the Kashmir Golf Club will be opened to the general public, ending its exclusive privilege,” he added.

However, Sajad Lone dismissed criticism of the PDP and BJP stating they are like “Hunting with hounds, running with hare. When in power, the BJP and the PDP enjoy the good things in life, including golf.

When out of power, they deride it.""Both parties enjoy these things when they are in power but criticise them when they are out of power. It is all too much theatre, tested, tried and failed theatre.

Jokes apart, a golf course in a tourism destination like Kashmir is a must,” Sajad added. Located along Srinagar’s MA Road, the Kashmir Golf Club is the oldest golf course in the Kashmir Valley.

Spread over more than 500 kanals in the heart of the city, the 18-hole course is surrounded by towering chinar and poplar trees. Golf was introduced to Kashmir by the British in the 19th century, when they spent summers in the Valley to escape the heat of the plains.

The club subsequently became an important part of Srinagar’s sporting and tourism landscape. The club has been associated with several prominent golfers, including the late Billoo P.

Sethi, the late Maharaja Hari Singh and former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. The course suffered extensive damage during the devastating floods of September 2014.

It was subsequently restored and made playable with financial and technical assistance from J&K Bank under its corporate social responsibility program. The bank had earlier engaged international golf course designers and consultants to assess and redesign the course to meet international standards.

They included Australian designer Phil Ryan, founding director of Pacific Coast Design, who has designed and upgraded golf courses across Asia. On July 25, 2019, then chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam chaired a meeting of the club’s executive committee and appealed for making it a people’s golf club.

He directed the club’s then secretary to invite applications for fresh membership from August 1 to October 31, 2019, at a nominal fee of Rs 100 per month, with no entrance fee, subject to submission of proof of residence. The announcement triggered a major debate in the Valley but soon it was overshadowed by events that unfolded in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

Stay updated with the latest Srinagar news.

Key quotes

• “There is no provision for proxy voting, so around 53 members could not vote because they were unavailable, while 243 were ineligible as they had not cleared their dues,”

• “If the people have no bread let them eat cake. An ordinary Kashmiri struggles with electricity bills & unemployment merely trying to just survive. I’m baffled by this government’s priorities which show a callous disregard for common people.”

• “it remains busy taking part in marathons and holding elections for the elite Kashmir Golf Club.”

• “The Abdullahs have always represented the politics of the elites, by the elites and for the elites. When the BJP forms the government in Jammu & Kashmir, the Kashmir Golf Club will be opened to the general public, ending its exclusive privilege,”

• “Hunting with hounds, running with hare. When in power, the BJP and the PDP enjoy the good things in life, including golf. When out of power, they deride it.”

• “Both parties enjoy these things when they are in power but criticise them when they are out of power. It is all too much theatre, tested, tried and failed theatre. Jokes apart, a golf course in a tourism destination like Kashmir is a must,”