Bangalore: Promising to turn the maiden coalition experiment a successful regime to last full term, the new Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh today (May 28, 2004) said a coordination committee of Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) would soon be set up to draft the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

The full-fledged Cabinet that would be in place soon would discuss the CMP, which would guide working of the new dispensation, Singh told reporters in the company of Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after presiding over a Cabinet meeting held soon after the swearing-in ceremony.

Singh refused to set a deadline for expanding his two-member coalition Ministry, saying after consultations with top leaders of both parties, he would undertake the exercise "as soon as possible".

Congress and JD-S, which shared diametrically opposite political views and fought on various issues, unanimously decided to share political power to "curb the growth of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)", Singh said, while defending the coalition arrangement worked out by the two parties.

"The understanding between Congress and JD-S is not for the sake of coming to power, but for rendering social justice," he said and reminded the people that they created a "special situation by giving an unprecedented fractured verdict".

He assured that the Government would protect the interests of the poor, farmers and common man.