The CBI raids on Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family were being carried out at the instance of a "vengeful" Centre out to muzzle the opposition's voice, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) said today.
As the RJD hit out at the Centre, the police tightened security outside the BJP office fearing trouble.
A general alert has been sounded across the state following the raids, which started at 7 am in 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Gurgaon, Additional Director General (Headquarters) S K Singhal said.
The Centre began tightening its noose around Lalu Prasad ever since he "announced a massive 'Desh bachao, Bhajpa hatao rally' on August 27 in Patna", RJD's Bihar unit president Ramchandra Purbey said.
"The CBI's action is being carried out at the instance of the central government... This is the Centre's vengeful action which is targeted against those who speak for protecting democratic values," Purbey said.
The RJD's proposed rally on August 27 in Patna would take place as scheduled, he added.
His colleague, RJD's Bihar unit chief spokesman Shakti Singh Yadav, echoed him and said the CBI action was "brazen misuse" of central agencies by the Central government against opposition parties.
The CBI team raided Rabri Devi's 10 Circular Road residence in Patna in the morning, part of the searches in connection with a corruption case.It is alleged that Yadav as railway minister handed over the maintenance of two railway hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land of three acres through a benami company
Lalu Prasad is away in Ranchi for appearance in a CBI court in connection with a case related to the multi-crore fodder scam.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) is in alliance with the RJD, is also out of Patna.
The CM left for Rajgir yesterday for "health reasons".
Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and state police chief P K Thakur have been summoned to Rajgir.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence on CBI raids.
Asked about the enhanced security arrangements, state BJP President Nityanand Rai said the administration might have done it considering the violent activities of RJD workers in the past after action against their leader in other cases.
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