BANGALORE: The curse of the horse has snared yet another chief minister of Karnataka.Over the years, virtually every CM who has tried to get the Bangalore Turf Club shifted from its existing premises has bitten the dust.Or even if he has completed his term, he hasn’t succeeded in his efforts at getting the race course vacated.But no CM pursued it like B S Yeddyurappa. While the Mysore Race Club, which ironically runs under the BTC rules of racing and is not an independent turf authority like the BTC, was spared by Yeddyurappa, the BTC had to undergo all sorts of hardships.Yeddyurappa even got the tote taxes that the BTC was paying raised to earn Rs 20 crore more revenue per year while the MRC escaped unscatched.The matter of getting the BTC shifted is in court. After the CM faced a lot of problems, including dissidence, he went a little soft. This meant that the Supreme Court hearing scheduled for July 19, 2011, has been put off indefinitely.Like most politicians, Yeddyurappa too is said to be superstitious. The CM was allotted a spacious bungalow in front of the BTC. He believes that the house has been lucky for him. For, he regained his position as Leader of the Opposition, became the finance minister, was deputy chief minister and then the CM till he resigned today.While one can agree with the CM’s reasoning, it is difficult to understand why he did not give any heed to the other superstition that almost every time a CM has tried to get the BTC shifted, he has lost his position, or even worse, his party has lost power. Or he has not completed his term.No sooner a government falls, the club heaves a sigh of relief. Since the late Ramakrishna Hegde government came to power, efforts to get the BTC shifted were more concerted but the result was the same - the governments fell.Dissidence grew within the BJP no sooner did the CM refuse to renew the BTC’s lease and asked them to shut shop. The BTC was forced to file a SPL in the Supreme Court after the High Court ordered it to shift.Watching the drama unfold is the BTC which is now reminding the future CMs of the curse of the horse.
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