Yeddyurappa’s Floor Test: Restoration Of Democracy?

The Supreme Court has ordered a floor test for the newly formed Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka at 4 pm on Saturday.

If, as a result of this, the Congress is able to form the government, it may be called a victory for democracy. But whose democracy is this? Does this democracy serve workers and farmers or does it serve big capitalists, financiers, MNCs, top bureaucrats and police and judicial officers? This question has not been asked on social media or on any media for that matter. But this is a question that activists must dwell on.

Hashtags like #KarnatakaCMRace, #FloorTest and many others are trending on social media after the Karnataka assembly elections. Though the BJP emerged as the single largest party, it fell short of the required majority. After that, with the help of its own governor, Yeddyurappa was made the CM with 15 days to prove his majority. Of course, this means that MLAs will be purchased and traded during this period.

AAP member Ashutosh expressed his sympathy towards the Congress in the hope of “restoring” capitalist democracy.

For them, the victory of Congress will be a restoration of democracy which was murdered by the BJP. But this amounts to forgetting the past. Did we suddenly forget about the Emergency of 1975? The Congress, like the BJP, are not averse to embracing anti-working class and anti-farmer policies. Both the Congress and the BJP toe the line for the big corporates, to give then ever greater profits.

Indian manufacturing has shrunk to a fraction of its total capacity due to non-availability of buyers and goods and services. Unemployment is rising, so is crime, corruption and oppression of women, the working class, and other minorities. The difference between the Congress and the BJP is not in their content but in their form – the BJP is not averse to using religious polarisation and jingoism to get their way but their policies pander to the same people.

So will the victory of the Congress truly save democracy? What happens if their economic policies and that of the BJP are the same? Meanwhile, communal violence is increasing in India, there are greater social divisions. Fascism has started to rear its ugly head in India, like it did before in Italy and Germany.

Fascism is the most rotten and violent form of capitalism. At the same time, fascism depends on mass mobilisation of a section of society – the lumpen workers, the unemployed youth, goons and those who crave power.

Here, it must be noted that the 1975 Emergency, in my opinion, was not fascism but an administrative failure. Whereas Fascism is now among us. It is not merely the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie over the working class but it also receives support from various sections of society – from departments of governance and supposed ‘pillars’ of democracy like the media and education.

Therein lies the differences between the BJP and the Congress. While the Congress also serves its corporate masters, the BJP is not hesitant to use fascism to get its way – and some people mistakenly think that fascist rhetoric is a symbol of a powerful country.

In my opinion, we need to find alternatives to both the BJP and the Congress. We need to get out of the vicious circle of bourgeois parties and their jingoistic rhetoric.

We need true democracy – democracy for over 90% of the populaton, for the workers and farmers and not just for the corporate elites and their puppets. We need to ensure 100% employment, free education, health services and we have to maintain the dignity of workers and every other member of society. We have to end wage slavery and inequality!