Rediff

Jul 2: Miss J Jayalalithaa, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, hit out hard at Congress President Sonia Gandhi for running the nation through a backdoor and devaluing the office of the prime minister of India.
In an interview with Arnab Goswami of Times Now channel, she said it was President Kalam who had told Sonia Gandhi she couldn't become the prime minister of India.

She said that the United National Progressive Alliance was formed with the view of find a viable alternative to Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party and hoped that after the Presidential elections are over the left would think over its policies and join hands with the UNPA.

"We would have nothing to do with a political party that is being run by a foreign power. I consider those who support such a party as anti-nationals because we won our freedom from foreign rule only sixty years ago," she charged.

She described herself as flexible but strong leader who is now willing to play an important role.

"You should ask me about vision of India," she told Goswami.

This was the first big television interview granted to a news network in recent times. "My vision is that I want to see India become a super power whether in my life time or later," Jayalalithaa said.

She said that it took time to form the third front because it involved a number of parties.

"I was in touch with various leaders over phone," she said. Jayalalithaa claimed that she had spoken to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former prime minister of India about re-nominating Kalam and only after that did she call Dr Kalam and told him about the efforts to renominate him and they decided to meet in Delhi.