PM, PC propose, most CMs dispose

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The Centre failed Saturday to break the impasse on National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) with allies and the Opposition continuing to oppose the proposal.

In his opening remarks at the NCTC meet of CMs, PM Manmohan Singh tried to allay fears of states saying “NCTC is not a state versus Centre issue”.

He said NCTC was “to coordinate counter-terror measures and it “will supplement counter-terror capabilities of states, not supplant them”.

Home minister P. Chidambaram said NCTC “will be an important pillar in the new security architecture”. He claimed “many states have supported it, some have given qualified support and three have rejected it”.

The home minister maintained the executive order issued in February to set up NCTC “remains” and suggestions made by CMs would be “most carefully and anxiously examined”.
But the chief ministers would have none of it.

Leading the Opposition charge, Gujarat’s Narendra Modi accused the Centre of behaving like “viceroys of yore”, while Bihar’s Nitish Kumar said NCTC “violates” the principle of federalism.

Congress ally Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal made it clear NCTC was “not required”.

“It is contradictory to the federal system”, she said and urged the government to withdraw it.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah of J&K found NCTC as “stringent as Armed Forces Special Powers Act”.

While CMs of some Congress-ruled states, including Assam, hinted at a “trust deficit” and sought safeguards, Haryana’s Bhupinder Hooda, Maharashtra’s Prithviraj Chavan, Andhra Pradesh’s Kiran Kumar Reddy and Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot supported NCTC.

Keep counter-terror centre in abeyance, says Jayalalithaa

Opposing NCTC tooth and nail, CM Jayalalithaa accused the Centre Saturday of pushing the country towards “autocracy” and demanded a sub-committee of chief ministers to consider the proposed anti-terror body.

NCTC needs an “overhaul”, she said at the conference of CMs.

“NCTC, as has now been notified, should be kept in abeyance, as already advocated by me in my letter to the Prime Minister, till the sub-committee of chief ministers gives its report.”

Launching a no-holds-barred attack on the home ministry headed by bete noire P. Chidambaram, Ms Jayalalithaa said Tamil Nadu was being shown “utter contempt” by the Centre that did not even send it a copy of the order setting up NCTC.

“As a matter of fact, any discussion on NCTC is infructuous as long as the NCTC notification is in force,” CM said.

Noting that counter-terrorism was a serious matter and any mechanism should take into account views of all stakeholders, she said there could not be one nodal centre whose nod is required before any counter-terrorist response.

“The way things are evolving with the creation of NIA and NCTC and the proposed amendments to RPF Act and BSF Act, we seem to be headed towards autocracy consisting of a government of the Centre, by the Centre, for the Centre.”

CM also said the Centre should “concentrate on setting its own house” in order rather than spending time advising state governments on administration.

Noting that record showed failures in dealing with terror had occurred mainly due to lack of coordination amo-ng intelligence-gathering agencies, she said the counter-terrorism strategy should address this fundamental issue.

“Kargil expo-sed chinks in intelligence-gathering. Blasts in Mumbai in 2008 again showed our weakness in information collection,” CM said.