Mumbai, Jul 15 (IANS): Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale on Friday said "everybody has a right to eat beef" and promised action against cow vigilantes who assault and lynch people in the name of cow protection.

Addressing the media, he said in recent months, many people have been beaten, some of whom lost their lives, for suspected possession or transport of beef or meat of other animals.

"Even Prime Minster Narendra Modi has expressed concern over this and warned that such incidents would not be tolerated. Yet, such incidents have not stopped," Athawale said, adding that such incidents will not be tolerated any more and the self-styled cow vigilantes will be dealt with sternly.

"Everybody in the country has a right to eat beef. The gau rakshaks have the right to lodge a police complaint... However, they don't have the authority to take the law in their hands and beat or lynch anybody," said Athavale, who is President of NDA constituent, the Republican Party of India-A.

The minister's statement came days after Maharashtra was rocked by beef-related incidents -- two in Pune and one in Nagpur -- in which four persons were arrested and a former BJP activist brutally assaulted on suspicions of transporting beef by a mob of cow vigilantes respectively.

Assam women seek Raj Thackeray's 'consultancy' to tackle 'outsiders'Mumbai, Jul 14 (IANS): Impressed by the anti-north Indians agitation of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in 2008-2009 in the state, a delegation of Assam women's group on Friday met him seeking his 'advice' to tackle the problem of 'outsiders' in their state.

A delegation of Assam's Swadhin Nari Shakti group called on Thackeray at his residence and apprised him of the problems the state was facing due to north Indians, mainly migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, besides illegal Bangladeshis, said MNS Vice President Vageesh Saraswat.

"They detailed how these 'outsiders' were eating into the job markets, grabbing big and small businesses and creating other social-cultural-political-economical issues there. They have sought the MNS help to bring back Assamese pride and self-respect," Saraswat told IANS.

The delegation apprised Thackeray of their plans to launch a statewide "Assam Bachao Andolan" from September to highlight the purported problems created by "outsiders" and illegal migrants.

The women urged him to visit the state, support and "guide" them on how to carry out their proposed agitation for the larger benefit of the Assamese people.

To this, Thackeray diplomatically said he would first send an MNS delegation to study their issues in early September.

"Thereafter, if required, Thackeray assured he would visit Assam and help them sort out the problems with 'outsiders' they encounter," said Saraswat, who is the north Indian face of the 11-year-old regional party.

As a token of their esteem, the women delegation members also tied "rakhi" to Thackeray and sought his "brotherly" support and blessings to safeguard Assamese people's legitimate rights, he added.