He made the remarks when he met editors of media organisations at Temple Trees.

Asked why he thinks former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaranatunga is against him, Rajapaksa replied: "She is vindictive and jealous that she could not do what we have done. We won the war and took the economy forward".

The President claimed that it was Ranil Wickremasinghe who could have been his rival in the fray but the UNP had systematically sidelined him.