Patna, May 17 In a magnanimous gesture to reach out to her estranged ally and Union Railway minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday called up Railway Minister Lalu Prasad requesting him to attend the Cabinet meet scheduled for Monday.

"UPA chairperson rang up the Railway Minister last evening and requested him to attend a meeting of the union Cabinet on Monday," his private secretary Bhola Yadav said here on Sunday.

Bhola, who declined to reveal the details of the telephonic conversation between the two leaders, however, said that the Railway Minister is scheduled to leave for Delhi later in the day.

It must be recalled that Lalu Yadav had not been attending cabinet meetings ever since forming an alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP).

On Saturday, Lalu Yadav, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal, faced a poor show in the latest Lok Sahba elections, admitted that not contesting the elections in alliance with the Congress was a big mistake. (ANI)