Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat of the Congress is the latest to add to controversial comments on beef and cow slaughter. He has said that those who kill cows have "no right to live in the country.," reports said.

"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," NDTV quoted Rawat as saying at a function in Haridwar.

The Chief Minister said the law would deal sternly with those who kill cows in Uttarakhand, and the state government would do everything to protect cows.

His government, he said, had passed a proposal against cow slaughter. He went on to say that Uttarakhand is the only state which gives not only land for cowsheds but also helps in arranging for their fodder.

The Chief Minister's statement runs contrary to the stand of his Congress party, which has strongly protested against recent incidents and pronouncements linked to cow slaughter amid a swirling debate on "intolerance" in the country.(Agencies)