Bhopal, May 31: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti has said her offensive against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had the blessings of top BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and party chief M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Speaking at a party meeting yesterday in the Madhya Pradesh BJP office, Uma snubbed former Union minister Sumitra Mahajan who tried to belittle her gesture to step down as chief minister in case the Congress president became Prime Minister. Sumitra had said Uma did not consult the state party unit and acted on her own “whims”.

Uma said she did not want to let out a “secret” but was being provoked by her colleagues.

The chief minister said, that on May 16, the top BJP leadership had met and asked senior party leaders if they were willing to make “sacrifices” to stop a person of foreign origin from becoming Prime Minister. While others looked around, Uma said she volunteered to risk her political career. “I did it because I believed in it. It is a subject close to my heart,” the chief minister said.

Uma said she and Sushma Swaraj, who had threatened to quit the Rajya Sabha, had the full backing of the party and their remarks were not part of a “personalised campaign” against the Congress chief. She said Vajpayee, Advani and Naidu had “fully endorsed” her anti-Sonia comments and gestures.

Sources close to Uma said the Madhya Pradesh chief minister was invited for lunch at Vajpayee’s house before she went on the offensive against Sonia. Uma’s comment came at a time when a section of the state BJP was trying to corner her by saying her “irresponsible” gestures were embarrassing the party.

Yesterday’s meeting turned out to be stormy but, in the end, Uma emerged triumphant. She told party leaders that while making appointments to state-run boards and corporations, she would consult them.