Criticising Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala for installing a BJP government in the state, the CPM on Thursday described the decision as a "partisan act" that reflected his "life-long affiliation to the RSS".

It said, in an editorial in party mouthpiece People's Democracy, Vala's move also "underscored" the fact that Governors in the country act as per the "dictates" of the ruling party and not by constitutional norms while expressing fears that it would "open the doors for sordid deals and bribery" to buy up legislators, "something which the BJP excels in."

Accusing Vala of swearing-in B S Yeddyurappa without ascertaining whether he commands a majority in the House and giving him 15 days to prove his majority on the floor of the House, the editorial said, "this partisan act is in keeping with his life-long affiliation to the RSS and only underscores the fact that governors in India act as per the ruling party dictates and not by constitutional norms."

 While asserting that BJP emerging as the single largest party in the state due to its "tried and tested formula" of stoking communal polarisation, "configuring" caste alignments for maximum electoral benefits and money power, it did not leave the Congress also in its criticism saying the results were a "big blow" and showcased its "continuing inability" to counter the BJP-RSS effectively.

It also described Congress president Rahul Gandhi's visits to temples and mutts as a "flawed and compromising approach" to counter the Hindutva forces. "The only positive outcome of the election is the quick support offered by the Congress to the JD(S) to form the government," the editorial said.