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AIADMK makes amends for slighting Sonia

A two-member delegation of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders, including former Union minister Sedapatti R Muthiah and former minister V Sathyamurthy, called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the Madras airport this noon when the latter made a five-minute touchdown en-route to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.

The AIADMK move has come in the wake of the criticism that party general secretary J Jayalalitha had deliberately kept away from Sunday's election meeting at Villupuram to be jointly addressed by her and Gandhi. An AIADMK release said the two leaders handed over, on behalf of Jayalalitha, a boquet to Gandhi. Gandhi left by a helicopter for Nellore to address an election meeting.

Talking to newspersons later, Muthiah said Gandhi was happy and pleased to receive their greetings. He said he and other AIADMK leaders would receive Gandhi again at the airport on her return from Nellore this evening.

Replying to a question, Muthiah said a decision on the next joint poll meeting to be addressed by Sonia Gandhi and Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu would be taken later. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (I) president Tindivanam K Ramamurthy, who was among the Congress leaders who received Gandhi, said he had invited her to campaign again in the state.

UNI

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