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.
