The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief had called up Modi on December 23 after his extraordinary victory in the face of a hostile opposition from several quarters. On being told that Modi would be in Chennai on January 14 to take part in the 37th annual day celebrations of the newspaper, Thughlaq — run by Cho Ramaswamy, the actor, playwright, columnist, political commentator and editor, Jayalalithaa is said to have extended him the lunch invite.

"She had called him up on December 23 itself, and when the CM informed her that he would be in Chennai on January 14 to participate in an interaction with Tughlaq's readers, the luncheon invite was extended to him," said an official.

Jayalalithaa was one of the first to congratulate Modi on his recent victory. Their chemistry goes back to 2002 when Jayalalithaa had flown down to Ahmedabad to be part of the Gujarat CM's swearing-in before a 2-lakh strong crowd at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

Though it is being termed as a courtesy call during Modi's Chennai visit, the meet could turn out to be a harbinger of some political changes on the national scene, as the NDA, fresh from its victory in the Gujarat and Himachal Assembly polls, prepares itself for the 2009 general elections.