PATNA: BJP leaders in Bihar on Monday asserted that the Central Bureau of Investigation was "doing its job as an independent agency" in cases against RJD president Lalu Prasad who was "reaping what he had sown".
Leaders of the saffron party, which is in opposition in the state but in power at the Centre, were approached with queries on a CBI team reaching the residence of Rabri Devi, Prasad's wife and a former CM herself.
Officials said that a CBI team visited the residence of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with "further probe" in the land for jobs scam case. There is no search or raid taking place, they said.
The CBI team reached 10, Circular Road, a stone's throw from the official residence of the chief minister and the Raj Bhavan in connection with a case pertaining to the period when Prasad was the railway minister, in the UPA-1 government.
"Lalu Prasad's brush with CBI has been long. The fodder scam cases, in which he has been convicted, were lodged much before the BJP came into the picture," said senior BJP leader and former state minister Nitin Nabin.
He pointed out "the fodder scam cases were registered when the Centre was ruled by the United Front, of which he was a part. The complainants included Shivanand Tiwary, now his party's national vice president, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, who heads the JD(U), his current ally".
Jibesh Kumar Mishra, another BJP leader and ex-minister, said, "Lalu Prasad got first convicted in a fodder scam case in 2013, when the Congress-led UPA, of which his party was a part, ruled the Centre".
"The CBI is an independent agency and doing its job. Allegations of political vendetta are baseless. Lalu Prasad and his family are reaping what he has sown (jaisi karni vaisi bharni)," the BJP leader added.
The officials said the CBI had already filed its charge sheet in the land for jobs scam case and the special court summoned the accused, including Prasad and his family members and others on March 15.
The agency has kept the further probe open into the alleged scam, they said.
The visit of the CBI team is in connection with further investigation in the case, they added.