The last fortnight has seen BTC face turbulence not because of external forces but because of vested interests who enjoy the privilege of being members. The members of Bangalore Turf Club revel in the kind of facilities that anyone can be envy of. The total strength of membership is 350 which is spread over several inter-linked families.

About 60 members are active in racing and some of them are indulging in activities which can undermine the existence of the club itself. They are egoistic, have dubious credentials and they don`t mind the damage that they cause to the sport by their subversive activities. Their constant aim is to derail the club at the drop of a hat on perceived grievances. They have no qualms about enjoying all the facilities at the expense of public money. Their contribution to the sport is next to nothing. With the best lacking in conviction, the others have taken over. It is time for the members who matter to stand up and stem the rot. Already enough damage has been caused to the edifice. The pity is that these members are doing anti-club activities with impunity. Because of the vote politics, such members are tolerated.

The Managing Committee of the Bangalore Turf Club passed a no-confidence motion against the then chairman Harinder Shetty. The Chairman who lost the majority as all the elected members wanted him to step out refused to give up easily and sought to muddy the waters with baseless allegations about his colleagues and even wrote to the Chief Minister of the State that the club was controlled by doping and betting mafia and that there was need for government intervention. He was instrumental in the government ordering a COD inquiry on the club. Incidentally, Shetty became a Chairman of the Club several years ago after the then chairman was voted out through a no-confidence motion. To the credit of the person concerned, he gracefully bowed out without causing any residual damage to the club.

The members who have been behind the sustained campaign carried out against the club can be easily identified. Initially, they went against the appointment of CEO of the Club and filed a case in the court which was dismissed as having no merit. Since then they have stepped up their efforts and caused immense harm to the reputation of the club alleging that there was a cover-up operation of a routine positive of a therapeutic drug. In BTC any news gets widely circulated and there is no chance for any cover up. Racing is a dog eats dog profession where one professional is ready with his guns pointing to his colleague. The veterinary protocols in BTC are strong and nothing can be covered up if it related to breach of medication rules. These members wanted Kangaroo court type of justice and wanted the club to straightaway pronounce the professional guilty. They also dragged the name of fellow member Arjun Sajnani while the horse was owned by five partners. Their intention was clear. And that was to damage the reputation of the members and officials who were perceived as being not on their side.

The focus of the club should have been to make all out efforts to get a favorable rate for GST on betting on the club operated totalisator pools. Much time has been lost in internal bickering and the committee perhaps sat over the matter, busier with other activities. The committee has finally woken up to the task now and has enlisted the support of the former Chief Secretary of the State who is also a member of the club. A delegation of the club went on Delhi on Tuesday to meet the important functionaries of the governing council of the GST. One hopes that they can achieve their objective because, in the interest of racing to survive healthily, a benevolent tax structure is of critical importance.

In the meanwhile, the saner members of the club should see through the game plan of dissident members who are least interested in the welfare of the sport or the club. They should act decisively and ensure that the sport doesn`t suffer because of the machinations of these people. The damage caused by these people has shaken the foundations of the edifice. The fact that these people were acting against the interests of the club is very clear and they should be put in their place. The fact that the second sample of the allegedly ``doped`` horse has come clean should shame the people who created a sensation about the alleged cover-up and other stories.