Patna, April 30: The LJP today launched a signature campaign to gather support for its demand for the dismissal of the Nitish Kumar government.

Around 500 LJP supporters attended the inauguration of the campaign at the party headquarters in the state capital. The drive aims to collect 1 crore signatures of Bihar residents.

“This signature campaign is the beginning of Nitish Kumar’s bad days. People of Bihar do not want to live under his dictatorship. The government has crossed all limits and has started looting public money,” LJP national general secretary Satyanand Sharma said while launching the campaign.

He added: “Under the leadership of our leader Ram Vilas Paswan, the party will submit the memorandum to the President of India and demand removal of the Nitish Kumar-government. We will collect 1 crore signatures of Bihar residents. The signatures will be submitted to the President on August 9 on the occasion of Kranti Divas.”

LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan — the only member of the party in Parliament — could not attend the event. “He could not come because of some personal problem,” said Lallan Kumar, an LJP office bearer.

On the process of collecting signatures, Lallan said: “All the districts heads and office bearer of our party have been instructed to organise a camp at the panchayat and block levels. Citizens would be asked to give their signature in support of our demand. The process will start on May 2. We are confident of collecting the required number of signatures in the stipulated time.” The signature campaign would be the second of its kind after JD(U) organised a number of them demanding special status category to the state.

The LJP campaign would also demand a CBI probe into the alleged financial mismanagement in the state, highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

Former MLA and LJP vice-president Maheshwar Singh said: “Several corruption cases have come to the light. The CAG report has highlighted the loss and theft of funds in Bihar. The government is not taking the report seriously. Union ministers like Suresh Kalmadi, Kanimozhi and A. Raja were accused on the basis of CAG reports. Why does this government not recommend a CBI probe into financial mismanagement as mentioned in the CAG report?”

Former minister Chedi Lal Ram said: “We have also planned to start jail bharo andolan against the government.”