Chennai: Countering the MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) chief Vaiko's claim that the Centre had announced its decision to implement the Sethusamudram project because of his initiative, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said in Chennai today (Sep 8, 2004) that it was she who could claim credit for bringing the project to fruition.

In a statement, she said the project was put on focus for the first time on her insistence, when it was included in the national agenda for governance framed after 1998 Lok Sabha polls.

She said when the national agenda of governance was decided in 1998 when the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) formed a coalition Government at the Centre, she was the one who got the Sethusamudram project included in the agenda after arguing the matter for more than one and half hours.

"PMK (Pattali Makkala Katchi) and MDMK gained entry into Parliament only because of me," she said. She was the only leader from Tamil Nadu to attend the meeting to finalise the agenda, she claimed. Vaiko was not even invited to attend the meeting, she said.

PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss and former Union Minister late Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy, who came on their own accord, were stopped at the gate of the then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's house and were shown the exit door, she said.