Opposing the NCTC tooth and nail, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Saturday accused the Centre of taking the country towards ‘autocracy’ and demanded that a sub-committee of Chief Ministers be set up to go into the proposed body.
Launching an all-round attack on the Home Ministry headed by her bete noire P. Chidambaram, she alleged that Tamil Nadu was being shown ‘utter contempt’ by the Centre which did not even send a copy of the order setting up the National Counter- Terrorism Centre.
Speaking at the Chief Ministers' conference chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, the Chief Minister said the proposed NCTC needs a ‘total overhaul’ and suggested setting up of a smaller sub-committee of Chief Ministers.
"The NCTC, as has now been notified, should be kept in abeyance, as already advocated by me in my letter to the Hon'ble Prime Minister earlier, till the sub-committee of Chief Ministers gives its report," she said.
"As a matter of fact, any discussion on NCTC is infructuous as long as the notification of NCTC is in force," Jayalalithaa said.
Noting that counter terrorism is a serious matter and any mechanism that is developed should take into account the views of all the stake holders, she said there cannot be one nodal centre sitting in the Ministry of Home Affairs, whose nod is required before any counter terrorist response is undertaken.
"The way things are evolving with the creation of the NIA and NCTC and the proposed amendments to the RPF Act and the BSF Act, we seem to be headed towards an autocracy consisting of a Government of the Centre, by the Centre, for the Centre," she said. Jayalalithaa also said the Centre should "concentrate on setting its own house" in order rather than spending time advising the State Governments on principles of administration.
In this regard, Jayalalithaa said she was sure that the Prime Minister is concerned about the fiscal deficit situation and the deteriorating balance of trade.
The consequent downgrading by the credit rating agency, Standard and Poor, has categorised the global outlook on the Indian Economy as negative, she said.