PTI, Kolkata :
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the Modi-led government for imposing the “unconstitutional” cattle slaughter directive and said that the move is “anti-secular and anti-federal”.
“My government will fight this unilateral measure legally because it stands to destroy the country’s federal structure,” she said at a brief press meet here.
The chief minister said, “the government cannot decide what we eat and I request the centre not to interfere.”
She said all secular parties have backed her stance on the issue and ready to fight it legally. She said the directive is unconstitutional.
Mamata also cautioned the centre not to “play with democracy” and “destroy federal structure”.
The reaction comes a day after the Kerala government criticised the Centre’s move and announced to challenge it with an alternate legislation.
The state government suggested that it could bring in a law to counter the central ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter.
Hitting out at the BJP-led government at the centre and the RSS, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there was no need for the people of the state to draw lessons from New Delhi or Nagpur on their food habits.
Vijayan had earlier shot off a letter to the prime minister to protest the Centre’s decision.
Opposition Congress-led UDF, meanwhile, decided to observe Monday as a ‘black day’ against the ban.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted that the incident was “completely unacceptable” to him and the party.
