Congress president Sonia Gandhi has warned Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take timely steps to cope up with yet another bad monsoon.

In a two-page missive to Vajpayee, Sonia warned that any laxity on part of the central government will aggravate the drought-like conditions in several states resulting in irreparable loss to crop and livestock.

"Forecasts regarding the next monsoon are uncertain and unclear. Unless timely steps are instituted immediately, there could be a severe intensification of drought-related distress and shortage in many parts of the country in the coming months," Sonia said in the latest of her ongoing series of letters to Vajpayee.

In the letter, Sonia also recalled urging the government to take appropriate measures to correct the 'continuing anachronism of scarcity in the midst of plenty'.

"There is widespread malnutrition and food shortages among the poorest of the poor on one hand and overflowing grain silos on the other," Sonia wrote, "The right to food and access to food is the first and most basic right that we must ensure to our citizens."

"It would be a major tragedy if, in spite of the massive stocks of foodgrains, we are not able to prevent distress and suffering among the poor in the coming months" she wrote.

Seasoned observers said the Congress president is trying to pass the buck to the Centre on the drought-like conditions prevailing in the Congress-ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which are going to polls this year.

"The Congress-governed states that have been affected by drought will be seeing if they can provide their enhanced share of resources under the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna. They will also be making arrangements for lifting the additional allocations. They will further be instituting steps for implementing the best features of the Famine Code and other schemes as directed by the Supreme Court. I am also asking them to streamline the working of ration shops and to bring more vigour to the implementation of the Mid-Day Meal," Sonia wrote.

Referring to Supreme Court's interim order of May 2, 2003 in the writ petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties, Sonia claimed the apex court order had vindicated many of her party's suggestions made to Vajpayee.

She reminded Vajpayee that her party had been repeatedly asking for the strengthening of food-for-work schemes and for streamlining and decentralisation of the allocation process. "In fact there are growing reports of diversion of foodgrains from the fair price shop to the open markets," she said.