Dindigul: Refuting the opinion that she was a 'wrathful' character, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on March 7 said by nature she was a calm person and her occasional aggression was only to defend herself.

"By nature I am a calm person. However, I cannot remain placid when the time comes to defend myself," the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief said at a government function.

"When a big vindictive army is challenging me, and trying to take revenge, I have to protect myself. If they give me one blow, I have to give back 10 blows. Then only I can save myself," she said, explaining why she has to be aggressive at times.

Jayalalithaa took three similes, including the name of the town "Dindigul", a compound word of 'dindu' (soft pillow) and 'gal' (stone) to explain what type of person she was.

Jayalalithaa described herself as a combination of "softness and hardness. I won't say it is a paradox. To a soft and affectionate person, I will be soft and affectionate. I will be how I should be to different persons," she added.

PTI