Meerut, Feb 25 - Citing political pressure on the CBI for the recent spate of raids in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Saturday sought to blame the central government for the multi-billion-rupee scam in the state.

Reacting sharply to the suddenly renewed Central Bureau of Investigation crackdown on state government officials allegedly involved in the scam, she said: 'The manner in which CBI has suddenly gone on an overdrive by carrying out multiple raids on UP officials over the past few days reflects the pressure under which the premier investigation agency is functioning.'

Accusing the Congress-led central government of blatantly using its undue influence on the CBI to rush through the case, she told an election rally here that 'it is pretty evident that the centre is misusing CBI for its own political mileage'.

'Otherwise why should agency be turning over-active at a time when elections are at the peak in UP,' she asked.

Seeking to give her own government a clean chit on the issue, Mayawati said: 'The state government has nothing to do with the scam, because the scheme is completely funded by the centre whose machinery keeps regular tab on every instalment of money that is released by them.'

'When central government teams have been undertaking periodical reviews of the implementation of the programme, than why was the CBI selective in targeting only state government officials while central government officials were not even questioned,' she asked.

'Now it is for you all to ask this question to the Congress-led centre and I am sure they will have to answer that,' she appealed to the people at the rally.

Accusing the central government of 'total non-cooperation' with the state, she said it had 'always remained indifferent towards my repeated requests for giving UP a special package for our backward regions'.

Mayawati also sought to warn the people of the dangers that lay ahead in case they voted for any party other than her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

'If you want better law and order, better governance and a crime-free, safe environment where the downtrodden are well looked after and the poor and unemployed have something to look forward to and the state can march ahead, then vote to bring back this daughter of a Dalit to power,' she appealed.

Mayawati addressed a rally in Saharanpur also.

The penultimate phase of the Uttar Pradesh election is scheduled Feb 28. Counting of votes will take place March 6.