Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday said that his 'chopping hands off' comment was
not literal, and added that he was using an idiom to say that he would
restrict the powers of doctors if they treated patients unfairly. "They
should have knowledge about Hindi idioms, chopping off hands means
restricting rights. I did not mean literally chopping hands off. By
cutting hands, I meant restricting their powers," said Manjhi.
Earlier today, Manjhi had said that he will cut off the hands of
those found playing with the lives of the poor, referring to doctors who
have been treating those injured in the recent Gandhi Maidan
stampede. The Bihar
Chief Minister's comment garnered criticism from various political
parties with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Siddharth Nath asking
the leader to apologize.
"It is unfortunate that the chief minister is making such statements.
It is not easy to become a doctor and saying that we will chop their
hands is very disappointing. He should apologize of such a thing," Singh
said. Thirty-three people lost their lives and several injured in the stampede that took place at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna on October 3 during the Dussehra celebrations.
All the patients are provided free of cost treatment at the PMCH.
