NCTC aberrate federalism: Mamata

NCTC aberrate federalism: Mamata

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said," Centre of taking the country towards "autocracy" suggested a sub-committee of chief ministers be set up to go into the proposed body. Further she said there cannot be one nodal centre with powers embedded  in the Ministry of Home Affairs, HM nod first call 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," J Jayalalithaa said.

Mamata Bannerjee expressed her displeasure with the Centre for taking a unilateral decision on formation of NCTC.TMC The key UPA ally and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee its Chief today said such institutions "upset" the federal structure of the country and was "not acceptable" to the state.She further said setting up of institutions like National Counter Terrorism Centre with the proposed powers of arrest and seizure upsets the federal structure of the country. We had strongly opposed and urged the central government to withdraw order on its formation."It is unfortunate that in utter disregard to these federal principles, the NCTC was set up by an executive order dated February 3, 2012 of the Union home ministry without proper consultations with the states.All such  unilateral steps of the Union government in matters which are within the ambit of the states only increases the trust-deficit between the Centre and states," Mamata said in convened meeting of chief ministers on  NCTC in New Delhi. She further suggested  a periodic meeting of chief ministers  to review the internal security situation in the country thus facilitating  "the Centre and the states can jointly work-out broad strategies to tackle terrorism". The country’s top political leadership at the Centre and in the States are holding a crucial meeting in the national capital to resolve differences over the National Counter Terrorism Centre-NCTC.

Majority of  Chief Ministers including Mamata Baenerjee, Jayalalithaa, Naveen Patnaik, Prakash Singh Badal and Narendra Modi contested on various provisions of NCTC which encroach on the ambit of the States.