KOZHIKODE/NEW DELHI: Several MPs from Kerala on Tuesday protested outside the state guest house in Delhi after police entered the premises on a complaint that it serves beef . The parliamentarians carried placards which termed the police action an attack on Kerala House and condemned the act.

A political row also broke out over the police action with Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy condemning the "raid" as "unfortunate". He was also backed by his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal who said the police action was an "attack on the federal structure", a charge rejected by BJP .

The BJP justified the police action, saying it was only making inquiries following a complaint and was well within its right under the law of the land.

Accusing Chandy of "politicising" the issue, BJP said serving of beef in restaurants in Delhi was illegal.

The Kerala House dismissed allegations that beef curry was served at its premises, saying that only buffalo meat was offered. However, it has temporarily taken buffalo meat off the canteen menu.

"Kerala House is not a private hotel or an institution run for making profit. It is an official guest house of the state government. The police action was really unfortunate. They should have shown some restraint before carrying out searches," Chandy, a Congress leader, said in Kozhikode, while voicing his protest.

Chandy later wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he said, "I seek personal intervention of PM to instruct HM for taking stringent action against those responsible for trespassing into premises of State Govt property and ensure that this kind of incident does not occur again." Cutting across party lines, state political leaders supported the chief minister.

Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson categorically denied that cow meat was served at Kerala House and said they will wait for "police action" in the wake of the complaint by the state's resident commissioner over entry of activists.

"I totally deny that cow meat was served here (canteen of Kerala House). Only buffalo meat is served," Thomson said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also waded into the row. "I strongly condemn what happened in Delhi at Kerala Bhavan. An unwise and unhealthy attempt to curb fundamental rights of people. Intolerance," she said.

A PCR call by a person claiming to belong to a fringe right-wing group Hindu Sena on Monday complaining that beef was being served at Kerala House's canteen had seen Delhi Police personnel rush to the premises.

Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala said the incident amounted to an infringement of the powers of the state. Kerala government would soon send a letter to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi expressing the state's strong protest over the issue, he added.

Kejriwal while condemning the "raid" by Delhi Police wondered if a CM would be arrested from a state guest house if he was suspected of eating something that BJP does not like.

"It is an attack on federal structure. Delhi police is acting like BJP Sena," he said.

Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi on his part said, "It was not a raid. It was in fact a preventive measure as per our standing operating procedures."

Meanwhile, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu rejected Kejriwal's remark that the police action was an attack on federal structure, saying police was only making inquiries.

"The police action was right and was a preventive measure within the law of land. Chandy is trying to politicise the incident," BJP spokesman Siddharnath Nath Singh.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan accused the Delhi Police of indulging in "moral policing".

Read this story in Malayalam