President’s Rule has been declared for a second time in Karnataka within a short space of a month. This follows the collapse of the 8 day old BJP led government after Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular) withdrew support during the Confidence motion.

The Assembly has been put under suspended animation. It cannot be ruled out that the main parliamentary parties in Karnataka may yet again come up with a new coalition government. However, as all these parties are thoroughly discredited and any government formed will lack credibility, it is more likely that the bourgeoisie will push to dissolve the Assembly and organise fresh elections.

What does the crisis in Karnataka reveal?

Firstly, it reveals the venality of the main parties in the Karnataka Assembly. The Congress, Janata Dal(S) and the BJP have been desperately maneuvering to get the biggest share of the perks of office.

40 months ago, the Congress under the leadership of then Chief Minister SM Krishna lost the elections to the Assembly. However, neither the BJP, nor the Janatal Dal(S) could get a majority on their own. There was a three way split. In these conditions, the Congress maneuvered to strike a deal with the JD(S). As part of the seat sharing arrangement, a Congress Chief Minister was installed. The government collapsed when the Congress Party tried to break the JD(S). 20 months ago, JD(S) struck a deal with the BJP and came to power with JD(S) leader Kumaraswami Chief Minister. The deal indicated that after 20 months the BJP would have its Chief Minister as well as other lucrative portfolios. Now the BJP is crying foul that the JD(S) has gone back on its word.

What are the crucial perks of office over which the thieves have fallen out? It appears, from media reports that the conflict was over who should have the ministries dealing urban development and mining and geology. Deve Gowda's party wanted to retain these lucrative portfolios while BJP is demanding that it has a "right" to these portfolios under the power sharing arrangement.

The bourgeoisie is trying to make out that the problem in Karnataka has to do with the fact that no single party came to power, and with the venality of some particular party.

The truth however is different. All bourgeoisie parties come to power, not only to serve the bourgeois class, but also to fill their own coffers. What has happened in Karnataka is that the blatant corruption and horse-trading has become exposed, because of the fierce, no holds barred attempts by each of these three parties to get the biggest share of the cake. In the process, they have been washing their dirty linen in public, and exposing their “real concerns”.

What are these concerns? These are how to make money in the quickest possible time. It is known that at this time, in Karnataka as well as many other states, whosoever controls the ministry of Urban Development is sitting on a gold mine, as he/she has the power to convert agricultural land to industrial and commercial land. In Karnataka, mining leases have also become a huge source for revenue through bribes. Such concerns, and not the well-being of the people of Karnataka are driving these parties.

The party system of rule that prevails in India ensures that the party or coalition getting the majority in parliament or the state assembly gets to rule on behalf of the bourgeoisie. This party or group serves the bourgeois class as a whole through its policies, while its MLAs and MP's fill their pockets by looting the exchequer. Those in the "opposition" expose the ruling party and bide their time till they get a chance to loot the people.

It is the task of the working class and its party, the communist party, to expose the working of this system of representative democracy. This system is designed to ensure that only parties that are loyal to the bourgeois class can come to power, to loyally implement the policy and program of the bourgeoisie. When a particular party or coalition gets exposed in the eyes of the people, then the bourgeoisie replaces this party or coalition with another.

When a single bourgeois party comes to power, then too there is fierce fight for the perks of office within its ranks. Parties even break up on this question. This is one of reasons why the bourgeoisie has brought in the anti defection law, so that big parliamentary parties cannot be broken easily. However as the experience of UP has shown, this law too has been easily circumvented by those in power to break other parties.

When a coalition is in power, and one or two parties exist who can make or break the coalition, then the bargaining amongst the coalition partners for the perks of office is very intense and visible. This has been the case in Karnataka.

Karnataka is a leading state in terms of growth rates and industrial development. It is not coincidental that it has been racked with political crisis for nearly 4 years, with no end in sight. The bourgeosie's course of development—globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation —does not have the support of the masses of workers and peasants. None of the three parties that are staking their claims to power, stand for the interests of the workers and peasants.

While the majority of people are disgusted with the development of events, the system of representative democracy that we have offers no alternative other than the replacement of one set of these parties by another, to carry on the same anti-people agenda. Communists and all forces that stand for the rights of people have to critically expose the system of representative democracy in our country, and put forth an alternative system of direct democracy in its place.