In her first full-length political interview, Gandhi dismissed opinion polls suggesting that her party was headed for a major defeat saying she was `absolutely' optimistic about her party's prospects.

During the interview to Vir Sanghvi for Star Talk programme, to be telecast on Star Plus channel on Friday, the Congress president answered a wide spectrum of questions covering the fall of Vajpayee government, Kargil conflict, Bofors controversy, assassination of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, her Italian origin and her future political plans.

Gandhi also said she did not conspire with AIADMK leader Jayalalitha to topple Vajpayee government maintaining that the Prime Minister lost the vote of confidence and the government fell.

Asked about reports that "she will go back toTorino or wherever she came from" and that she was not going to stay back in politics now that Congress looked like losing the elections, she said, "I am in politics now and I shall remain in politics."

When asked was that for the long term now, she replied, "surely".Asked about constant speculation that her two children, Rahul and Priyanka, were going to join politics and about to stand for elections, she said "both my children are extremely interested in politics."

To a question whether she was worried about three opinion polls suggesting that Congress was heading for a major defeat, Sonia Gandhi said, "Not really, because there have been quite a number of polls before....... During other elections and they have been proved wrong. One of the examples I am going to give you... has been a survey on Madhya Pradesh where they said MP (Congress) would do very badly, in fact they had a fantastic victory."When asked whether she was not dispirited and was still optimistic, she said she was absolutelyoptimistic.

Asked about the charge that she conspired with Jayalalitha to topple the Vajapyee government by going to her tea party, Sonia said, "I did not conspire with Jayalalitha. Not at all."