Jitan Ram Manjhi today said chief minister Nitish Kumar was making his supporters invite him to anti-liquor rallies in other states while residents there didn't really care.

The former chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular (HAMS) president met governor Ram Nath Kovind at Raj Bhavan and lodged a complaint against the Nitish government. "I told the governor that the state is facing acute water shortage but the chief minister is visiting other states to support prohibition," Manjhi told journalists outside Raj Bhavan.

The attack comes a day after a Jharkhand Nari Sangharsh Morcha delegation invited Nitish to address a prohibition rally in Jharkhand. Nitish will address a rally in Dhanbad on May 10, in Jaunpur on May 12 and in Lucknow on May 15.

Ever since Bihar became a dry state, Nitish has been demanding a liquor ban in other states too. The JDU claims women's organisations in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bengal and Odisha have invited him to launch a liquor ban drive. But Manjhi said: "No state has shown interest in Nitish's drama. I told the governor Nitish is organising rallies with help of his own people."

"Manjhi has lost his mental balance, as his ally, the BJP, is not giving him any value," JDU MLC and party spokesperson Niraj Kumar said. "The women's body that invited Nitish ji to Jharkhand is not part of the JDU. We are amazed how the country's seniormost leader (Narendra Modi) has not uttered a word yet."

Manjhi also slammed the government for asking people not to cook meals from 9am to 6pm to prevent fires.

"This is autocratic. There is no logic behind it. Who is the government to decide when people should cook their meals? If the government was concerned, why doesn't it build pucca houses for the poor," Manjhi asked.