Where chief ministers fear to tread

BELGAUM, JUNE 18. Is Saundatti, the seat of the Goddess Yellamma in Belgaum District, a jinxed town? If not everyone, at least, politicians from this part of the State seem to hold this superstitious belief.

Interestingly, another "notorious" town, that is believed to be jinxed, is Chamarajanagar down south. The belief that any chief minister that visits this town will return with bad luck multiplied was "evident" when the former Chief Minister, the late D.Devaraj Urs lost power within few weeks of his visit to Chamarajanagar. The superstition gained ground in political circles when Mr.S.R.Bommai and the late Veerendra Patil met with a `similar fate' after visiting the town. Thereafter, no chief minister has "dared" to visit Chamarajanagar: not even socialists such as Mr.S.Bangarappa and the late J.H.Patel.

Strangely, the people of Chamarajanagar take pride in reminding people though Mr.H.D.Deve Gowda did not step into the town, he became Prime Minister after he flew over Chamarajanagar when he visited Santhemarahalli when he was Chief Minister. It is ironical but factual that the former chief ministers, the late Gundu Rao, Mr.Ramkrishna Hegde and Mr.Deve Gowda himself lost power after their visit to this taluk headquarters. So politicians, by and large, believe that any chief minister, who visits this town, will lose power.

Now, there is "hot" gossip in political circles in Belgaum in which the Chief Minister, Mr.S.M.Krishna, is also being listed among his superstitious predecessors. According to a senior official, Mr.Krishna was also to visit Saundatti and pay obeisance to Goddess Yellamma besides inaugurating developmental works including a shopping complex and a school building during his visit to the district on June 20. But this part of the programme now stands canceled as he will fly back to Bangalore soon after laying the foundation stone for the administrative complex of the Visvesvesvaraya Technological University near Belgaum city.

Official sources could give no reason why his visit to Saundatti was cancelled, but reliable sources told The Hindu that a section of legislators from Belgaum and Dharwad District prevailed upon Mr.Krishna, to cancel his Saundatti programme fearing that that it would bring him bad luck.

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