Patna: Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Saturday accused Nitish Kumar of giving financial assistance to the newspapers of Brajesh Thakur, the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case prime accused, and gave the chief minister a week to disclose the whereabouts of the missing shelter home girls.

Holding a news meet at the RJD office in New Delhi, the leader of Opposition demanded the Supreme Court to ensure that information and public relations (IPRD) department officials were interrogated. He also called for Nitish's resignation over the sexual exploitation case.

He added that if Nitish did not disclose where the Muzaffarpur shelter home girls - shifted to a Madhubani home - were since they have gone missing, he would stage a mass protest at Madhubani.

"The Supreme Court has clearly stated that funds were given to the NGOs without checking their credentials which proves that it (the Muzaffarpur sexual abuse) was a state-sponsored incident and Nitish Kumar is running the state. Under his nose, this heinous crime was committed and as he holds the charge of IPRD and home ministries, I demand his resignation," Tejashwi, accompanied at the meeting by Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha and Lok Sabha member Jai Prakash Yadav, said.

He pointed out that although Thakur's newspaper circulation was not more than 200 to 400 copies, huge amount of funds were given as advertisement. "The IPRD minister (Nitish) must reveal what he used to get for giving such huge advertisements to Brajesh Thakur's newspaper," Tejashwi said.

While he did not name any IPRD official, Tejashwi did say: "I will urge the apex court to ensure the officials are interrogated, especially the official who was earlier principal secretary of the health department. In his time, Brajesh Thakur's NGO got the maximum funds. The former Muzaffarpur district magistrate, who is right now IPRD director with additional charge of special secretary of chief minister's secretariat, should be interrogated too. He is Nitish ji's blue-eyed boy and had once recommended to honour Madhu Kumari with the Zila Mahila Samman."

Madhu, a close aide of Thakur, is on the run since her name figured in the alleged sexual exploitation and torture of at least 34 girls living at Balika Grih in Muzaffarpur.

Again without naming anyone, he said a health department official was transferred by Nitish on the recommendation of someone because the former had blacklisted Thakur's NGO.

"There is one big leader of his party (JDU) from Samastipur district who has very good relations with Brajesh Thakur. Nitish ji must reveal his name and sack him or else I will reveal the name. Nitishji's role is pivotal in the shelter home case and he should immediately resign," Tejashwi stressed.

In Patna JDU chief spokesperson Sanjay Singh, however, said nobody will take Tejashwi's questions seriously till he mustered the courage to sack private assistant Mani Yadav, who is chargesheeted under the Immoral Trafficking Act.