Is your nose cut when you say ‘naak kat gayi’: Manjhi

PATNA: Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi On Saturday dismissed the brouhaha over his ‘threat’ on Friday to “chop off hands of doctors neglecting poor patients”.
“Don’t you understand phrases? ‘Haath kaatna’ is a phrase and Hindi equivalent to the English phrase, ‘To cut to size’. What I meant to say was that doctors not doing their duty properly and ignoring poor patients will be deprived of their powers and authority,” Manjhi told newsmen in response to a query on the sidelines of a function at A N Sinha Institute.
He clarified certain phrases in Hindi are linked to chopping of different parts of body, including ear and nose. They have nothing to do with actually cutting body parts, he said and added only 10% doctors in the state are not doing their duties and not taking care of poor patients while 90% doctors are very good.
Incidentally, Manjhi’s threat while delivering a speech after inaugurating a hospital at Pakri Dayal in East Champaran district on Friday was preceded by his boasts that he took action against such doctors in Patna too. “Jin logo ne Patna mein dava kharid ghotala kiya, unko ghar par baitha diya. PMCH mein bhi kaam nahi karne waale doctoron ko ghar baitha diya (I made people involved in drug purchase scam sit at home. Lax doctors at Patna Medical College & Hospital were also made to sit at home),” he had said, apparently referring to the suspension and transfer of doctors and officials in Patna recently. One official was even dismissed.
However, the Bihar unit of Indian Medical Association demanded an apology from the CM within 24 hours. “If an apology is not offered and action against PMCH doctors not withdrawn, we will approach the Supreme Court, rights panel and the President of India,” an IMA press release said and threatened to paralyse health services across the state for which a date would be finalized soon.
Former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi also attacked the CM for making a “barbaric and Talibani” statement. But Manjhi retorted, “He (Modi) is free to say whatever he wishes to say.”