JOIN USKey allies of the Congress on Wednesday demanded wider consultations on the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and argued that such an institution would infringe upon the rights of state governments.
As the ruling UPA appeared divided on the issue during the debate on demands for grants for the Ministry of Home Affairs, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Centre of not dealing with the problem of terrorism effectively, thus turning India into a “soft state.”
Ahead of Home Minister P Chidambaram’s meeting with the chief ministers on the NCTC, UPA constituents like the Trianmool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) made it clear in the Lok Sabha that they would continue to oppose the NCTC.
“The formation of the NCTC will lead to encroachment on the power of the states. The issue needs more discussion,” TMC member Suvendu Adhikari said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has convened a meeting of the chief ministers of all states in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the NCTC.
The DMK, another constituent of the UPA, pointed out that the NCTC “should be used for joint operations, without affecting freedom of the state governments.” “Freedom of the States should not be affected. We are not against the NCTC. It should be used for joint operations,” said J K Ritheesh Shivkumar of the DMK.
The TMC and DMK are the second and third largest constituents of the UPA, after the Congress.