Indian PM reaches out to Sonia Gandhi, greeting her on 69th birthday

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached out to the country's main opposition party chief Sonia Gandhi, greeting her on the 69th birthday.

"On her birthday, greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. May Almighty bless her with long life & good health," Modi tweeted.

Minutes later Indian Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu called up Gandhi and wished her happy birthday.

Early morning greetings were being seen as the Indian government's efforts to reach out to the Congress party that stalled the Parliament Tuesday over court summons to Gandhi and her son Rahul.

Both the Gandhis have been ordered by the Delhi High Court to appear before a lower court on Dec. 19 in a corruption case, involving a now-defunct English daily.

Reacting to the court summons, Sonia Gandhi said "I am the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi (India's first woman Prime Minister) and I am not afraid of anybody or anything."

Rahul Gandhi has accused the government of "political vendetta" in the case. "This is the way the union government tries to silence me," he told the media Tuesday.

The Gandhis and some top leaders of the Congress party are accused to illegally acquiring for peanuts property worth millions, belonging to the National Herald newspaper.

However, the Indian government has denied any role in the case and accused the Congress of mixing up a court decision with politics, saying that "nobody in this country has immunity from law".

The government needs Congress support to pass key legislations in the Parliament, as part of its reforms agenda. Endit