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The minister could be seen holding an animated discussion with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the dais during the function, but the CMO said Mukherjee did not meet Karunanidhi before or after the function for discussions and left Chennai soon after.

On the involvement of UPA allies in the negotiations, Mukherjee said the 8220;interaction and support of partners of the UPA are always welcome8221;. On whether the debate in Parliament on the issue had been postponed, he said it was for the Business Advisory Committee to fix the date.

Earlier, at the function, Mukherjee said the Chennai branch was the third branch secretariat of the MEA after Kolkata and Hyderabad. 8220;We hope to open similar offices in some more states,8221; he said. The branch secretariat would serve as a window for interaction with a large number of foreign consulates and honorary consulates located in Chennai. The minister also announced the opening of two more passport offices for Tamil Nadu8212;at Madurai and Coimbatore8212;before the year-end.