“I know what he meant when he made that remark. He has apparently referred to my birth in Mysore. Though I was born in Mysore, I was born in a Tamil family and Tamil blood is flowing in my veins. My mother tongue is Tamil. When we accept those born in Sri Lanka as Tamils, we should also accept those born in Mysore, which is a part of India, as Tamils,” she said in a statement here.

She said Karunanidhi could not justify his “anti-national” act by making metaphorical remarks. “He can’t be condoned for supporting the killers of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi,” she added.

Launching a virulent attack on Rajya Sabha MP and Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi for criticising her on the issue, Jayalalitha said certain “mushrooms that had sprouted up overnight” had questioned her Tamil spirit without knowing the fact that she had organised World Tamil Conference to glorfiy Tamil language.

Recalling a press interview she gave during her acting career in 1972 at Mysore, where she had gone for the shooting of a Tamil film, she said, “When the reporter asked me whether I am a Kannadiga, I replied that though I was born in Mysore, I  am a Tamil. This raised the hackles of Kannada fanatics who stormed the film studio in large numbers with deadly weapons and demanded an apology from me.”

Jayalalitha said the mob attempted to attack her when she refused to call herself a Kannadiga. “As the police did not come to our rescue, my colleagues and the film director advised me to concede their demand. But I stood my ground and bravely said I am a Tamil,” she added.

“When this incident occurred in 1972, I had no connection with politics. I’d not even dreamt then that I would take a plunge into politics and become a Chief Minister in future. I’ve not called myself a Tamil for any personal gain. It was due to my true Tamil spirit that I declared myself a Tamil on the soil of Karnataka,” she said.

“Without knowing these facts, some newcomers in politics have stated that I lacked Tamil spirit,” she said, taking a dig at Kanimozhi.

Jayalalitha reiterated one could not become a Kannadiga just because she was born in Karnataka. Even in Tamil Nadu, many Punjabi and Marwari families were living for three generations. But, they could not be labelled as Tamils.

Stating that she and her party always had affection and  concern for Sri Lankan Tamils, Jayalalitha said she wanted them to live in peace. Though the Sri Lankan Tamils had been suffering for the past two years and a large number had died, Karunanidhi had expressed regret only at the death of Tamilselvan, she said.

“While I support the Sri Lankan Tamils, Karunanidhi supports the terrorist outfit LTTE,” she alleged and added,  “That’s the difference between us.”