New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was a tool in the central government's hands to harass them, soon after the Congress demanded a probe by the agency into the Karnataka mining scam.

"This is an attempt to keep the heat on the issue on, we all know how the CBI is used as a tool by the government," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told IANS.

Sitharaman said the BJP, as promised, has taken action by deciding to sack Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa after the Lokyayukta indicted him for illegal mining.

"As per promise, we have responded on the Lokayukta report. Now that the BJP has taken a stand, they have no answer," she said.

She also rejected the Congress charges of the move coming too late.

"Let me just remind the Congress, which is calling it too little and too late. What is the action on (Delhi government minister) Rajkumar Chauhan, who was indicted by the Lokayukta and is still continuing?" she said.

She also said the CBI was a political tool which the Congress was again attempting to use against the BJP.

"It has repeatedly been proven that the CBI has been the government's tool to harass opposition parties. An example is the Sohrabuddin case (in Gujarat)," she said.