Manjhi retracts 'chopping of hand' comment on doctors

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday retracted from his ‘chopping hands of doctors’ comment saying he had used a hindi proverb to convey his feeling on doctors not sincerely serving poor.

"I had used a Hindi proverb to express my feeling against doctors not serving poor sincerely," Manjhi told reporters when asked about his comments in East Champaran district on Friday.

"Proverbs such as 'kad choota kar denge' (cutting to size) or 'haath kat denge' (chopping hands) are used in Hindi...but this does not mean actually chopping hands of somebody," he said on the sidelines of a function at A N Sinha Institute in Patna.

With his remarks on doctors at Pakri Dayal in East Champaran district used by opposition to attack him and Janata Dal-United, Manjhi said he respect doctors.

"Ninty per cent doctors are good and honest in delivery of services but 10 per cent are not sincere in serving poor...my displeasure is at those 10 per cent," he added.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a 70-bed sub-divisional hospital at Pakri Dayal in Bihar's East Champaran district yesterday, Manjhi gave a warning to doctors that "those found playing with the (lives of) poor will not be spared... Jitan Ram Manjhi will chop off their hands."

Reacting to the statement, Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi said that such staement of the chief minister reflected ‘Adim yug’ (primitive period) when there was no rule of law.

"A case should be registered against the CM for making such provocative comments. Bihar is returning to jungle raj as was the case during the Rashtriya Janata Dal rule," he said.

Referring to former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who chose Manjhi to succeed him, he said "his remote control (on Manjhi) seems has gone weak."

"Such utterances are not good in democracy," state Congress President Ashok Choudhary said.