CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who turned 84 on Sunday, appealed to the Tamil youth to work for declaring Tamil as one of the official languages of the nation and linking of rivers.

Talking to reporters, during his birthday celebrations at the DMK headquarters here, Karunanidhi said rivers in the country should be linked to promote national integrity and unity among states and Tamil should become one of the official languages of the nation, adding this was his birthday message.

He said these were the DMK's demands and his long time wish. Tamil youths should work for the fulfillment of these demands and people of other states should co-operate for achieving it.

To a query on convening a Chief Ministers' conference for linking peninsular rivers, he said he had already requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene such a meeting when he met him in Delhi.