RJD MP Pappu Yadav at a news meet in Patna and (right) chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi lights the inaugural lamp at a Tola Sevak convention at Millar School ground on Sunday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan, who recently launched a crusade against exorbitant consultation fees of physicians, today sounded critical of chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s warning to doctors that their “hands would be chopped off if they did not discharge their duty honestly”.

The Madhepura strongman, who himself described doctors as “flesh-eating devils” and “executioners” earlier, said: “The chief minister should have avoided using such words.”

Manjhi had said on Friday: “Jo gareebo ke saath khelwar karenge unka hum haath kaat lenge (Those who play with the lives of the poor will have their hands chopped off).”

Criticising Manjhi, Ranjan alias Pappu said: “Such words send a wrong message among the people. But one should understand that the chief minister used the ‘chopping of hands’ as an idiomatic expression. He did not mean it literally. Still, he should have avoided such words.” This is not the first time that Pappu acted like a “preacher” — criticising and lauding Manjhi at the same time. He had described the chief minister as “nakara (incapable)” but a good soul”.

Pappu had made that remark against the chief minister citing rampant corruption in the state and the non-performance of bureaucrats. He had claimed that the same set of officers performed efficiently when Nitish Kumar was the chief minister.

The RJD MP said: “Manjhi has every right to suspend or take any action against doctors. He has taken action against errant medicos earlier also. But ‘chopping of hands’ was not the right choice of words.” The Bihar chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), which had sought an apology from the chief minister within 24 hours for using the objectionable words, today withdrew their strike call after the chief minister issued a clarification on his statement. “Manjhi did not mean the words in literal sense. He has already issued clarification on it,” the acting president of IMA, Dr Sahajanand Prasad Singh, said. An IMA officer-bearer said the government also assured them to deal leniently with the doctors put under suspension after the Dussehra stampede in Gandhi Maidan on October 3. Thirty-three people were killed in the tragedy.

Principal health secretary Deepak Kumar told The Telegraph that the suspension of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) superintendent Dr Lakhendra Prasad would be revoked. “The chief minister has asked us to do so. A notification regarding this would be issued on Monday,” said Kumar.

He also said the department would give a second thought to the transfer of four other PMCH doctors apart from reconsidering the decision of issuing showcause notices to three department heads of PMCH.