Being targeted as I have unified opposition against Modi: Lalu

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday tore into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the CBI booked him and his family, saying that unleashing the investigative agency against him is an attempt of the saffron outfit and its ideological mentor to make him surrender in front of them.

Yadav while addressing a press conference said that the BJP is targeting him because he has united the opposition to oust the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

"All this has come in the wake of me and my party amalgamating all other opposition parties of similar mentality to unite and oust the Narendra Modi government. All this is political vendetta against me and my family. They want to break us down and make us kneel down in front of BJP. My rivals want to send me to jail, they want me to surrender in front of BJP and RSS," said Yadav.

The CBI earlier in the day registered a criminal conspiracy case against Yadav on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The CBI has also booked Yadav's wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav, then MD, IRCTC P.K. Goel, a Private person, two Directors of Private Company, a Private Marketing Company and one other person in connection with a same.

The CBI sleuths today conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurgaon and other places in connection with a case linked to a hotel maintenance contract awarded by Lalu Yadav when he was the Railway Minister in 2006.

The CBI is also examining irregularities in awarding tenders to private firms for operating railway hotels located close to stations.

These raids have comes weeks after income-tax department searched locations in New Delhi and adjoining areas in regard with corruption charges against Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar.