Stray Horse and politics, Bangalore India.

Stray horses are a common sight on Bangalore roads.The ones that don't meet the standards for racing or to pull the fast dwindling numbers of horse drawn carts are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Meanwhile, the Government of Karnataka wonders if Horse Racing should be banned...

Minister for Lotteries Ramachandra Gowda in The Hindu:

"Mr. Gowda said he had consulted legal experts on whether horse-racing and betting on races could be banned. "There is no difference between lottery and horse-racing," he said.

"If horse-racing is conducted merely as a form of sport and restricted only to owners of race horses and the members of turf clubs, the Government has no objection to such activity. But when an element of betting comes into play with tickets issued based on numbers and not names of horses, it becomes gambling in another form." Betting needs to be curbed in the larger interests of society, particularly poor and middle-class families, he said."