Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa over lunch at her Poes Garden residence. It was the first meeting between the two leaders after her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case. The meeting is a significant development in the backdrop of NDA's push to garner support for its key economic reforms bills in Parliament which is witnessing a logjam.
The Prime Minister first launched the National Handloom Day celebrations at the University of Madras and then drove straight to the Chief Minister's residence where she warmly welcomed him at the doorstep.
The AIADMK leader had invited the Prime Minister for lunch, which he accepted. During the discussions, she is understood to have taken up issues concerning Tamil Nadu including inter-state river disputes with Karnataka and Kerala and presented a memorandum.
The meeting assumes significance in the wake of AIADMK's broad support to the Modi government on the NDA's controversial Land Acquisition Bill in the Lok Sabha although Jayalalithaa had raised some reservations on it citing farmers' concerns ahead of its passage in the Rajya Sabha.
AIADMK has 37 members in the Lok Sabha and 11 in the Upper House. Earlier in day, Jayalalithaa had welcomed Modi at the airport. During his address at the function where Jayalalithaa was not present, the Prime Minister thanked "Dr Jayalalithaa", the state government and the people of Tamil Nadu for successfully organising the event.
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