Patna: The BJP on Tuesday claimed that not only did RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi hold accounts with the Awami Cooperative Bank, but they also played a role in the bank's growth.

The accusation came on a day when a CBI team quizzed Rabri in connection with the ongoing inquiry against the bank for its alleged role in converting old currency notes into new ones during demonetisation.

The lead was taken by senior BJP leader and health minister Mangal Pandey.

"The Awami Cooperative bank, in connection of which Rabri was quizzed by the CBI, used to be run by RJD leaders," the health minister said.

"Rabri was not just an account holder, but also she a so-called patron of this bank. Lalu worked for the development of the bank and he not only got bank accounts opened in the name of his family members, but also offered plum posts to people attached with the bank."

Pandey claimed Rabri used to deposit income from her dairy business into the bank account apart from using it to convert the family's black money into white.

"The nexus between promoters of the bank and Lalu's family has already been exposed in the past," Pandey said.

The BJP leader also asked Lalu's family to explain under what circumstances they opened an account with the bank instead of opting for the services of nationalised banks. Pandey also said that RJD leaders were trying to hide facts related to Rabri Devi being grilled by the CBI as a witness in the case.

He said the RJD used the services of the bank for its funding.

The BJP has been raising the Awami Cooperative Bank issue since November last year.

Senior BJP leader and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had taken the lead to demand a thorough probe by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI on the role of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members in the ongoing probe by the two agencies against the Awami Cooperative Bank.

The bank is controlled by former RJD MLC Anwar Ahmed and his family members.

Anwar, who was known as "kebab mantri" in Bihar's political circles for providing various kinds of kebabs to Lalu, was made member of the state Legislative Council twice when the RJD was in power in Bihar.

The CBI and ED had been probing the functioning of the bank after it had come to light that the bank had allegedly opened bank accounts in the name of 60 labourers when demonetisation was announced in November 2016 and over Rs 2 lakh was deposited in each of these accounts and later withdrawn.

An inquiry into these accounts revealed that the labourers were not even aware that bank accounts had been opened in their names and they also didn't have any idea about financial transactions carried out through those accounts.

Later on Tuesday evening, Sushil Modi tweeted in Hindi, which when roughly translated into English read as: "Investigating agencies are doing their work on the basis of proofs gathered in connection with land for hotel and conversion of black money into white through the Awami Cooperative Bank but statements are being issued to project the suspects of the financial crime as victims. Someone is doing it in lieu of his son having been made an MLC, and some want to get patronage."