Embattled chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi slammed mentor Nitish Kumar's ambitious Bihar Museum project on social media, hinting at tweaking it if he remains in the top post.

Manjhi, who has to prove his majority on the floor of the House on February 20, has been active on Facebook lately, talking about development, posting policy decisions he has taken for the uplift of Dalits and putting the ball in the court of the 'janata' asking them to choose between 'the right and the wrong'.

On Sunday afternoon, Manjhi set his eyes on the under-construction Bihar Museum building on Bailey Road in south.

'It is for the people of Bihar to decide whether they want a museum of Rs 500 crore or they want polytechnic institutes in each block with the same money where the youth can get skilled training and be self-reliant so that the villages could be turned into small industrial hubs,' Manjhi posted on FB.

Sources said there is a strong undercurrent that residents are averse to a museum worth Rs 500 crore when there is already a museum lying in a shambles on Buddh Marg.

Before Manjhi, his cabinet colleague Vinay Bihari, who looks after four departments, including art, culture and youth affairs, has been vocal about the project sniffing a scam but has failed to show anything in facts.

A couple of days after the minister, who is also in-charge of commercial taxes and tourism departments, had said he would be studying the files related to the project and take action against officials if he found anomalies, Bihari said his officials were making excuses on handing over the files.

'I had asked for the files two days back but didn't get them. Today, I kept calling the department secretary the entire day, but he didn't answer. Half of the bureaucrats in the secretariat are working under the influence of Nitish Kumar. After February 20, it is possible that I will be removed and no one will be able to unearth the anomalies. My question is under what circumstances did the project cost rise from Rs 280 crore to Rs 530 crore? If Manjhi is also talking about the same, it shows he is for the people and he thinks about their development and future,' Bihari said on Monday.

Former chief minister Nitish had laid the foundation stone of the Bihar Museum on July 9, 2013. Highlighted as his dream project, it is divided into four zones - educational, lobby, administrative and permanent gallery. Apart from this, a children's gallery is also being developed. The museum is spread over 13.5 acres and L&T is constructing it. Apart from primary exhibits, secondary sources like 3D panels and interactive kiosks would be there too. The work on the project is on in full swing.

Sources in the art, culture and youth affairs department, agreed that the project cost had spiralled since its construction.

'The cost of the project was Rs 298 crore. However, it increased to Rs 498.49 crore in 2013. There is nothing wrong in it. Big projects do see increase in cost as construction continues for long. For example, the original cost of the world-class Dubai Metro Project, which started operations in 2010, was $4.2 billion. It had increased to $7.8 billion till the project was finally over,' a department official said.

The project cost, at this moment, stands at Rs 530 crore and it is expected to be completed by August this year.

Food and consumer protection minister Shyam Rajak, who is known to be a Nitish confidant, said Manjhi was making desperate attempts to lure people.

'A person's thinking defines his personality. Nitish wanted the future and the present generation of Bihar to know about the state's cultural heritage and history and hence the idea of the museum clicked. He has always taken steps catering to all classes and castes. He constituted the Mahadalit Commission and also a commission for the upper caste economically weaker section. It was Nitish who brought about reservation for women. Whatever Manjhi is doing is out of frustration and is an attempt to somehow get the much-needed support, which isn't happening,' Rajak said.

What do you think is more important, a museum or polytechnic colleges? Tell us at ttbihar@abp.in