New Delhi, July 12: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayavati today accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of “using” the CBI to target her in a disproportionate assets case.

The allegation has muddied the already murky political waters of the state where the two main players — Mayavati’s BSP and the Samajwadis — are using the UPA’s trust vote on the nuke deal as their trial of strength in the run-up to the general elections.

Mayavati told a news conference that one of the conditions the Samajwadis had insisted on for bailing out the UPA government was to activate the CBI against her. “The Congress-Samajwadi deal for the deal includes a demand that the next CBI director will be a nominee of the two top leaders of the Samajwadi. There was a news report to this effect,” the BSP chief said.

She said the Centre had unleashed an “unholy and proxy” war on her by getting the CBI to file an affidavit against her in the assets case.

The CBI, however, has informed the Supreme Court, following a notice earlier this week, that it had “robust” evidence to chargesheet Mayavati. The agency had been probing the case for the past three years under the apex court’s supervision.

Mayavati questioned the timing of the CBI move and claimed there was enough “circumstantial proof” to show it was “politically motivated”. “This affidavit was filed a few days before the UPA government sought a trust vote and a few days after we withdrew our support to it.” When the apex court, she added, was to hold the next hearing on July 28, what was the need for the CBI to act 17 days ahead?

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said merely alleging “political vendetta” wouldn’t do. “The CBI is an independent agency and does not take kindly to political interference from the top.”