The Congress Karnataka unit on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as an electoral weapon following the agency’s raids at multiple locations linked to state party leader DK Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh.

The CBI is conducting raids at 14 locations including the leaders’ residence and business establishments. As many as 60 CBI men are involved in the raids, police officials familiar with the matter said. Locations being raided include the brothers’ premises in Bengaluru, Ramanagar, Kanakapura, Delhi and Mumbai.

“The CBI attack is the BJP’s permanent electoral process. BJP’s fear of losing the by-election. We condemn the CBI attack on hate politics,” the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee wrote on Twitter in Kannada.

The party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala called the CBI a puppet of the Modi-Yeddyurappa duo and said that they won’t be deterred by the move. “The insidious game of intimidation & machinations of Modi-Yeddyurappa duo being executed by a puppet CBI by raiding @DKShivakumar won’t deter us. CBI should be unearthing the layers of corruption in Yeddyurappa Govt. But, ‘Raid Raj’ is their only ‘Machiavellian Move’ !” Surjewala tweeted.

In another tweet, he added that Modi and Yeddyurappa’s “devious attempts” will only strengthen the Congress party’s resolve to fight for people and expose BJP’s “maladministration.” “Let Modi & Yeddyurappa Govts & BJP’s frontal organizations i.e CBI-ED-Income Tax know that Congress workers & leaders will not be cowed down nor bow down before such devious attempts. Our resolve to fight for people & expose BJP’s maladministration only becomes stronger,” he wrote.

Leader of opposition and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah also took to the microblogging site to criticise the CBI raids and accused the BJP of indulging in vendetta politics. “@BJP4India has always tried to indulge in vindictive politics & mislead public attention. The latest CBI raid on @KPCCPresident @DKShivakumar’s house is another attempt to derail our preparation for bypolls. I strongly condemn this,” he tweeted.

State Congress working president Saleem Ahmed told reporters, “Afraid of losing Sira and RR Nagar by-polls, BJP is resorting to these tactics. We won’t be cowed down and will fight this.”

The Congress will hold a protest meet at its headquarters in Bengaluru against CBI’s move on KPCC chief Shivakumar.