New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday termed as motivated the CBI raids on the premises of Babu Singh Kushwaha, saying the Congress and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) were hand in glove in unleashing the investigating agency on the former Uttar Pradesh minister.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters here that the timing of the raids, which came a day after Kushwaha joined the BJP, was suspect, as the investigating agency had kept quiet for several months before going in for searches at the former minister’s premises.

“The BJP is not a shield for corrupt people. But the CBI raids seem motivated. Why did the CBI take so long for carrying out searches,” Naqvi asked.

The raids were carried out by the CBI Wednesday at 60 places across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, including the premises of Kushwaha and his associates, in an effort to unravel the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam.

Expelled from the ruling BSP in Uttar Pradesh last November, Kushwaha had Tuesday joined the BJP.

“The CBI registered five new cases on Monday in connection with the NRHM in Uttar Pradesh. Searches are being conducted today (Wednesday) in 60 locations across Uttar Pradesh and in Delhi,” said a CBI statement.

Naqvi said the CBI action seems “selective”, as several other criminal cases and graft cases that the agency was probing remained stagnant, including those relating to the disproportionate wealth case against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati.