Chennai: DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) president M Karunanidhi today (June 16, 2004) asked AICC (All India Congress Committee) president Sonia Gandhi to intervene and ensure that Karnataka released Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu immediately, to "save the sufferings of the farmers of Tamil Nadu".

In a letter to Sonia Gandhi, a copy of which was made available to the press here, he said three Ministers from Tamil Nadu had gone to Karnataka, which was now receiving copious rains, to meet Chief Minister Dharam Singh to represent the plight of the Tamil Nadu farmers.

Prior to this, a delegation of Democratic Progressive Alliance leaders had met Dharam Singh and explained the situation to him.

"Yesterday, I wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Karnataka Chief Minister, expressing the urgency and the need of the hour to release water."

He, therefore, requested Sonia Gandhi to ensure that water was released to Tamil Nadu.