New Delhi: With ally DMK – miffed over portfolio allocation - deciding to give outside support to the Congress-led UPA government at the centre, Congress President Sonia Gandhi held fresh discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday.
Sonia drove down to Manmohan Singh's official 7, Race Course Road residence along with her political secretary Ahmed Patel.
The meeting comes in the wake of key ally DMK, with 18 MPs, deciding to extend outside support to the UPA and also choosing to boycott the oath taking ceremony.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is likely to visit Chennai on Saturday to hold talks with Karunanidhi in a bid to break the deadlock.
Azad is being deputed as the Congress emissary to persuade the DMK chief after the party announced on Thursday that it will give outside support to the UPA government, Congress sources said.
Karunanidhi left for Chennai on Friday morning with his son M K Azhagiri but left instructions that DMK MPs must attend the swearing-in ceremony of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening.
"All DMK MPs will attend the swearing-in ceremony," senior DMK leader T R Baalu said in Chennai. "DMK is not worried. Congress is our friend," he said giving indications that the party had not foreclosed its option for further talks to end the stalemate.
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