HARIDWAR: Calling those who slaughter cows as the country’s biggest enemies, Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Thursday said they had “no right to live in the country”.
“Anyone who kills cows, no matter which community he belongs to, is India’s biggest enemy and has no right to live in the country,” Rawat said addressing a function on the occasion of Gopashtami in the holy city of Haridwar.
“The law will deal sternly with those who kill cows in Uttarakhand and the state government will do everything for cow conservation,” the chief minister said.
Rawat said his government has already passed a proposal against cow slaughter. He also claimed that Uttarakhand is the only state, which gives not only land for cowsheds but also helps in arranging for their fodder.
While no other Congress leader has yet responded to Rawat’s statement, his stand goes against the one taken by his party since the lynching of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh over beef triggered a massive sparring on cow protection.
The Congress has led the opposition’s protest against the controvsrsial statements made by the leaders of the BJP and its affiliate organisations on cow slaughter.
PTI