Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi listens to grievances at janata durbar on Monday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday distanced himself from his cabinet colleague Ramdhani Singh’s stand that a scam involves hundreds of crores of rupees and not just Rs 1 or 2 crore.

Manjhi said: “It is my personal opinion that a scam is a scam, be it of four paisa or of four billion.” He was talking to reporters after his weekly janata durbar at his 1 Aney Marg residence when they drew his attention to the health minister’s statement.

Earlier in the day, health minister Ramdhani Singh rewrote the dynamics of corruption when he said irregularities involving a small amount of Rs 1 or 2 crore do not merit the tag of “scam”. For it to be called a “scam”, it should be worth hundreds of crores of rupees, he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav reacted sharply. “The chief minister and health minister’s contradictory statements have put a question mark on the government’s credibility. And the government’s hesitation in recommending a CBI probe into the scam is beyond one’s comprehension. The medicine scam apart, the government should also get the health minister’s health checked up,” he said.

He also said the JDU should quickly order a CBI probe if it thinks Sushil Modi is demanding so to sideline rivals in the BJP. “Are JDU leaders the BJP’s well-wishers to not want a CBI probe just to check internal bickering in the BJP?” he asked.

However, Manjhi rejected the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe into the medicine scam. “There is no question of ordering a CBI probe. We have full faith in our investigating agency,” Manjhi said.

“It is ridiculous that they (opposition, particularly the BJP) demand a CBI probe into every petty issue, even a fight between a husband and wife,” the chief minister said.

Manjhi was all praise for senior BJP leader C.P. Thakur, who gave Nitish a clean chit. “Thakur is a seasoned politician. Whatever he is saying, it has come from his heart,” Manjhi said.

Thakur U-turn

On the other hand, Thakur took back on Monday a statement he had made a day ago where he purportedly attacked party leader Sushil Kumar Modi for attacking Nitish Kumar without “evidence”.

Thakur said his statement had not been taken in the right earnest. He said the CBI was the right agency to probe the alleged scam.

Cabinet expansion

Manjhi denied speculation that there was going to be cabinet expansion. He said Nitish had met RJD leader Lalu Prasad in New Delhi.

“They must have talked. JDU, RJD and Congress leaders will take a decision and let me know. As of now, there is no question of cabinet expansion,” Manjhi said. About Lalu, he said the RJD leader was in New Delhi and it would be some time before he returns to the grind of politics.