Seeking to deflate the controversy surrounding his appointment as chairman of the high-profile Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, BJP leader Madan Lal Khurana on Saturday announced that Congress president Sonia Gandhi would be invited to the inauguration of the service on December 24.

"Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has instructed the Union ministry of urban development to invite Sonia Gandhi for the function," Khurana told newspersons in Delhi.

The former Delhi chief minister's appointment had evoked a sharp response from the ruling Congress, including Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Denying the Congress allegation that his appointment was unconstitutional, he said, "My appointment is strictly in accordance with the guidelines of the DMRC."

"I was upset with some of the comments made by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in national dailies about my appointment as DMRC chairman. I spoke to her on Saturday and sought her cooperation to make the project a success and she has agreed to do so," he claimed while promising to work in harmony with the Delhi government on the DMRC project.

Explaining his connection with the project, Khurana said, "When I was the chief minister of Delhi and Jagdish Tytler was the Union minister for surface transport, we had jointly proposed an elevated corridor on the Ring Road (which circumnavigates the state). However, before a decision could be taken (on the proposal), Tytler was shifted to the ministry of coals and mines and the new minister shelved the project."

Khurana denied that his appointment is the beginning of the 'saffronisation' of the DMRC. "Please do not attribute political motives to my appointment," he pleaded with mediapersons.

More reports from Delhi