The CBI questioned Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Rabri Devi for six hours at her home here on Monday in connection with a railway land-for-jobs case stemming from the time her husband Lalu Prasad was UPA railway minister.

The development comes a day after Opposition leaders including Rabri’s younger son and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi protesting the alleged misuse of central investigation agencies against the BJP’s political rivals.

Around a dozen CBI sleuths arrived at the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri, a former Bihar chief minister, at 9.30am. Security personnel controlled by the state government threw a cordon around the place.

Lalu Prasad, himself a former Bihar chief minister and a convict in three fodder scam cases, is the main accused in the land-for-jobs case. The rest of the accused include Rabri, her eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, daughter Hema Yadav and Tejashwi apart from named and unnamed others.

Tejashwi, who lives in Rabri’s residence, was attending an event at the Raj Bhavan when the CBI arrived at 10 Circular Road. He alleged that the CBI visit was politically motivated: “Anyone who fights the BJP or holds the mirror to it has to suffer.” Rabri’s elder son and state environment minister Tej Pratap Yadav was in the house but was allowed to go out. He is not an accused in the case.

In its October 22 chargesheet, the CBI has alleged that when Lalu Prasad was railway minister (2004-09), he had helped at least 111 people from Bihar to illegally secure Group D jobs in various railway zones in lieu of money and land. These posts were not advertised publicly for recruitment. Around 150 people from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana too were given railway jobs against bribes, the CBI has alleged.

A CBI court in Delhi has summoned Lalu Prasad, Rabri and Misa to appear on March 15 in connection with the case. Lalu Prasad, out on bail after partially serving his jail sentences in the fodder cases, is currently at Misa’s residence in Delhi. He had undergone a kidney transplant in Singapore in December and returned in February.

On February 25, Lalu Prasad had digitally addressed a rally of Bihar’s ruling Grand Alliance at Kishanganj. The CBI questioning of Rabri comes nine days after that. A large number of RJD politicians and supporters gathered outside Rabri’s residence and shouted slogans against the BJP, Modi and the central government. The CBI team left around 3.30pm.

Rabri later attended a Bihar Legislative Council session. Asked about the CBI visit, she was evasive, telling reporters it was “nothing”. “I had gone out in the morning and got information about a CBI team’s arrival,” Tejashwi told reporters on the legislative council premises. “Every other month, a team from the CBI, Enforcement Directorate or income-tax (department) visits us. We are not worried. This trend will continue till 2024 (when a general election is due).”

He added: “I want to make it clear that nobody can give jobs in any government department without following procedure…. It (the CBI) had raided us even on the day we were holding the trust vote for our Grand Alliance government last year.” Tejashwi asserted that he and his family had always cooperated with the central agencies and took a dig at them. “I have even asked them to open offices at our residences. It will save public money. They have to arrange so many vehicles and other things to come to meet us,” he said.