An expansion of the Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party Council of Ministers in Karnataka will take place within a fortnight, state Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said Tuesday.
The expansion could see the fledgling JD(S)-BJP coalition government, which came to power replacing the Congress-led Dharam Singh government, inducting six members each from both the parties.
At present the ministry has 12 members from BJP and 10 from JD(S) in the ministry, including the chief minister and the deputy chief minister.
Kumaraswamy was in New Delhi to take part in the tripartite talks convened by Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz on the Mahadayi water dispute with Maharashtra and Goa.
Asked by reporters about senior BJP leader Lal Kishenchand Advani's yatra, which was to pass through the state, Kumaraswamy refused to comment on it saying it was BJP's decision.
"By going on yatra, they thought they are going to get benefit," he said asserting there would not be any law and order problem in the state.
To a question on some members holding offices as chairmen in some boards, the chief minister said his government was awaiting Centre's action on the issue.
On the Mahadayi river water dispute, he said Goa wanted the issue to be referred to a tribunal, but Karnataka wanted it to be resolved through negotiation.
Though the Centre gave in principle clearance for diverting 7.56 tmc of water from Mahadayi basin to Malaprabha reservoir, because of Goa's objection the implementation has been kept in abeyance since 2002, he said.
He said the Union minister said he would discuss with Goa chief minister.
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