Mamata Banerjee warns cow vigilantes

In a stern warning to the cow vigilantes, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said law would take its course if anyone was found violating it.

The chief minister said while replying to a question if any action would be taken against cow vigilantes.

"A vegetarian will eat vegetarian food while non-vegetarians will eat non-vegetarian food. Who are these people to ask me what I am eating?" she said.

"I request everyone not to play dirty games. Everyone has the right to practice religion and they are counting cows. People in Europe eat cows. Tribals also eat cows," Banerjee pointed out to reporters at the state secretariat.

Warning that she would not spare if anyone plays with religion, Banerjee said these days, even if there was an accident, people tended to ask what the religion of the driver and the killed was.

She said, in the next Assembly session, the government will bring a bill making it mandatory for the culprits of any riot to give compensation to the victims.

"We will bring it with retrospective effect from the last five years," the CM said, adding that there were some parties which aim to divide the people and incite violence.

In politics the fight is based on ideology, not on the basis of religion or people, she said.