The elite Delhi Golf Club has restored membership of eight politicians, including Union Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress leader and cricket administrator Rajiv Shukla, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and his daughter MP Supriya Sule. However, membership of rebel BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha and Union law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have not been restored.
Sources in the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry have refused to comment on the development as to why names of Prasad and Sinha have not been included in the membership list. The secretary of Delhi Golf Club was not available for comment despite repeated attempts. A Minister is entitled to nominate certain number of politicians and bureaucrats as club members.
On May 16, the club issued a circular revoking membership of the seven politicians, saying that no club facility will be extended to them and their spouses. The circular included the names of Congress leaders Vijay Jawahar lal Darda, NCP leader Udayanraje Bhosale, and TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas.
Club insiders said that membership of these politicians was cancelled after the Government withdrew their names. “The circular was only to provide general information to the club staff,” said the insiders. The NDA Government in January 2016 cancelled the membership of 27 serving and retired bureaucrats to the Delhi Golf Club.
Delhi Golf Club has faced controversies in the past also. last year, a major controversy has erupted when the elite club has denied entry to a Khasi woman for wearing her traditional dress.
Delhi Golf Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Delhi. Aspiring members have long waiting list of at least 25 years. The club, spread over 220 acres, comprises an 18-hole golf course which is part of the Asian PGA tour.
Till 2016, the wait at Gymkhana was around 25 years which has now become 37 years and nearly 3,000 applicants are on the wait list. The club is known for very restrictive to his membership. The Delhi Golf Club is also setting up nearly identical rules for getting membership. Started in 1913, the total membership of the club has risen to 14,000 and nearly six per cent had taken their membership in 1950s and 1960s.
Several historical monuments stand within the club premises providing it a unique setting, which include Mughal Masjid, Early Mughal Tomb, Barah Khamba, lal Bangla, and several unknown tombs and tomb of Saiyyed Abid, which was probably built in 1626 AD and is located near lal Bangla and inside the Golf Club premises. It is built of lime mortar and bricks, with glazed tiles for decoration.
In 2013, the then UPA Government, which had not only renewed the 220-acre club lease for a pittance of Rs 550,000 annual rent for 30 years but sought and gained 29 permanent memberships of his nominees to the club, which had got its land from Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951.