Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar on Sunday castigated the state government and held chief minister Nitish Kumar responsible for the poor state of education in Bihar.

He blamed the state government for the negative image of the state in education particularly after the Intermediate exam scam, the students' agitation at the College of Arts and Crafts, and said the government was turning a deaf ear to the demands of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates.

"On the issue of students' agitation at College of Arts and Crafts and BPSC candidates who are demanding postponement of mains examination dates, I tried to meet the chief minister and the BPSC chairman, but the two didn't give me time," Begusarai boy Kanhaiya, who is on four day visit to Bihar, said in Patna on Sunday.

Some BPSC examinees are demanding change in dates because they say they will have little time to prepare for the preliminary examination of the civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission scheduled to be held on August 7. The BPSC mains test is be held from July 8 to 30. The BPSC has said there will be no change in examination dates.

College of Arts and Crafts students have been on strike since April 26, demanding action against principal Chandra Bhooshan Shriwastava who had suspended eight students. Last week, Shriwastava went on leave but the agitation is still on.

Asked whether Nitish is directly responsible for the education mess in the state, Kanhaiya replied: "As Nitish Kumar is head of the government he is responsible for all the wrong things happening in the education field."

The JNU student leader also said that the state government is targeting Ruby Rai, the arrested Intermediate arts "topper", as she is a soft target and small fry though there are many bigger fish in the scam.

"Kanhaiya Kumar has not become such a big leader that he can question Nitish Kumar over education," retorted JDU spokesperson Dr Ajay Alok. "Kanhaiya Kumar is not seeing the positive changes that the Nitish government has made in the education sector in Bihar."

This is the first time Kanhaiya - whom both Nitish and RJD chief Lalu Prasad had supported when he was sent to Tihar jail on sedition charges - has directly attacked the Grand Alliance government. During his last visit to Patna in May when he met Nitish Lalu separately, the Bihar government had rolled out the red carpet for Kanhaiya. This time, there were only five cops for his security. On June 29, Kanhaiya participated in a protest march in support of the arts college agitation. Attacking the state government for its "oppressive" attitude in suppressing student agitations in general and the arts college protests in particular, Kanhaiya had said that the chief minister should not forget that he too is a product of student agitations.

Highly placed sources said the state government is also irked because Kanhaiya had last week staged an agitation at the Bihar Bhavan in New Delhi over the arts college issue.