Patna, March 18: Jitan Ram Manjhi today questioned chief minister Nitish Kumar's governance model, saying there was rampant loot, corruption and lawlessness everywhere in the state.

He listed incidents - the furore in the Assembly on Tuesday, bar dancers performing in Chhapra jail, prisoners getting caught watching films inside Patna jail with Internet and phone facilities and the government failing to achieve its target paddy procurement - to strengthen his charge that the state government has failed to deliver.

'What the government is doing is beyond anyone's comprehension,' he told journalists.

Manjhi, who floated an outfit called Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) on February 28, alleged that there was a scam in the procurement of paddy. He said middlemen were making money while distributing the bonus of Rs 300 per quintal to farmers. As a result, farmers are not getting the benefits, he said.

He complained of scams elsewhere too. 'In the absence of a standard bidding system, the energy sector has seen a scam worth around Rs 20,000 crore in the past eight years. There is a complete loot going on in the department,' Manjhi said.

The former chief minister justified the need to implement 33 of his cabinet decisions, which Nitish annulled after replacing him. If he fails to do so, the people would remove him from power, Manjhi said. He said the state government says it does not have money to implement some of his decisions, but makes unnecessary spending on various constructions worth thousands of crores.

He cited Tuesday's incident when chairs were flung inside the Assembly to justify why he resigned without facing the trust vote, about a month ago. Manjhi said: 'People keep asking me why I resigned and did not face the trust vote. I had apprehended ugly and noisy scenes in the Assembly (on February 20, the day he was supposed to seek a trust vote). That is why I did not enter the House, to protect the dignity of the chair and the image of the state. Tuesday's incident in the Assembly has brought disrepute to the state.'

Taking a swipe at the chief minister, Manjhi said Nitish should try to resolve problems instead of becoming tense. 'I have heard that Nitish is unwell because of work pressure. He should not take tension. Instead, he should try and resolve the problems. I wish him good health.'

On possible future alignments, Manjhi said neither Lalu Prasad nor the BJP was in touch with him. He said he would not have any pre-poll alliance. Rather, he would prefer a post-poll alliance for government formation if his party fails to get a majority.

Emboldened by the success of his outfit's rally on Monday, Manjhi has set his focus on another Garib Swabhiman Sammelan in Patna on April 20.

Manjhi believes it would be a grand show. 'Right now, I am focusing on the success of the April 20 rally. I am doing all I can to showcase my strength at the Gandhi Maidan rally where I expect a mammoth crowd of five lakh people. My future course depends entirely on the success of this rally... I believe in the saying 'First deserve, then desire',' he said.

Manjhi said he has appealed to all sections of society, especially the poor, to come with sattu (roasted gram flour) and spare one full day in the interest of their children's future. 'We have put up donation boxes at various places to collect money for the rally's success.'