Patna, Sep 21 (IANS) The BJP attacked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Saturday, terming his closeness to the Congress an outcome of fears the CBI would frame him in the multi-million-rupee fodder scam.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said fear of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) forced Nitish Kumar to come closer to Congress.

"We strongly suspect that Nitish Kumar has come closer to Congress due to fear of CBI, which may name him as accused in the multi-crore fodder scam," Rudy told mediapersons here.

He said Congress was using fear factor of CBI to target different chief ministers and leaders of non-Congress parties in recent years.

"It is high time Nitish Kumar should explain to people what led him to not only be soft towards Congress but come closer to it," Rudy, who also hails from Bihar, said.

Rudy targeted Nitish Kumar a day after the Jharkhand High Court (Friday) asked CBI to file an affidavit is depicting the basis on which it took a U-turn in the fodder scam case of Nitish Kumar and others. It came after a plea was filed in a special CBI court to make Nitish Kumar an accused in three cases relating to the fodder scam.

However, when asked by mediapersons here, Nitish Kumar refused to say anything in this regard.

State BJP leader Griraj Singh said Nitish Kumar would go to jail in the fodder scam along with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

Besides, Singh warned Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav to be wary of Nitish Kumar as he had sidelined former party president George Fernandes.

"Nitish Kumar will treat Sharad Yadav like George Fernandes, whom he ousted from the president's post," Singh said.

Singh, a vocal supporter of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, invited Sharad Yadav to join BJP. "BJP gate is open for him if he feels comfortable to join," Singh said.

Earlier, another BJP leader Sanjay Paswan asked Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ramvilas Paswan to merge his party with BJP to take on Nitish Kumar and help Modi get majority in the 2014 general elections.

LJP is, however, keen on an alliance with Congress and RJD in Bihar.