Pranab Mukherjee reaches out to Karunanidhi in patch-up bid

In an apparent patch-up exercise, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today called DMK chief M Karunanidhi over phone and urged him to reconsider the party's decision to withdraw its ministers from the UPA government.

Mukherjee, who had spoken to DMK parliamentary party leader TR Baalu last night, called the Tamil Nadu chief minister and requested that his party should not pull out of the government when it is in the midst of the Budget Session.

The Congress leader is expected to call Karunanidhi again in the evening. Mukherjee, who had a meeting with DMK minister Dayanidhi Maran, later met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in Parliament House.

Sources said Karunanidhi told Mukherjee that the Congress should abide by the agreement by which Congress will contest only 60 seats and not ask for more.

Congress should also not insist on the choice of constituencies which would be decided mutually, they said.

During the meeting between Maran and Mukherjee, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi Ahmed Patel and Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad were also present.