New Delhi:
With state governments lining up every day against his pet project the National Counter Terror Centre (NCTC), Home Minister P Chidambaram has written to 10 Chief Ministers assuring them that the central government intends to work with states on battling terrorism.
"Countering terrorism is a shared responsibility... I may assure you that the intention of the Government is to continue to work with state governments," Mr Chidambaram has said in his letter to the Chief Ministers. He has also enclosed a detailed note on the "genesis, objectives, structure and powers of NCTC" and has requested the CMs to "carefully consider the note."
In addition, the Home Secretary has been asked to consult Director Generals of Police and Heads of anti-terrorist organisations in states in detail. Mr Chidambaram's letter says he has been asked by the Prime Minister to address the concern expressed by the Chief Ministers and to consult them.
Non-Congress Chief Ministers have written to the Prime Minister with ferocious critiques of the NCTC. They say the new counter-terror agency would trespass into state turf, and therefore violates the country's federal structure. Among those vehemently opposed to the move is Mamata Banerjee West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief who claimed earlier this week that the Prime Minister had agreed that the NCTC would not swing into operation on March 1, as announced earlier; and that state governments would be consulted first.
Ms Banerjee, whose party partners the ruling Congress at the Centre, has said she had asked the Prime Minister to suspend the executive order issued earlier this month that sanctions the NCTC. She said this was essential to avoid confusion while the Centre held talks with the state governments who have serious reservations about the NCTC.
On Tuesday last, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to the G-7, assuring him that the Centre was committed to protecting the principles of federalism. He said the NCTC was located within the Intelligence Bureau which "coordinates counter-terrorism efforts throughout the country. It was for this reason, he said, that the NCTC had been located within the IB and not as a separate organisation."
Dr Singh wrote that he has noted the chief ministers' concerns and asked Home Minister P Chidambaram to engage with them. The NCTC has been championed by Mr Chidambaram since 26/11 when 10 Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people in Mumbai.
His letter today has been sent to the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, MP, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal. Some like Odisha's Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu's Jayalalithaa have sent two letters to the PM, asking him to review and withdraw the order that creates the NCTC. Earlier this week, Bihar's Nitish Kumar wrote to the PM; the conglomerate of political hefties opposed to the NCTC includes Gujarat's Narendra Modi too. But given her status as a senior member of the UPA coalition at the centre, it's Ms Banerjee's take that carries maximum weight.
"In the name of NCTC, they can arrest anybody, they can interfere in any business, they can requisite police personnel from any state. This contradicts the federal structure," Ms Banerjee explained on Wednesday. That echoes what the other chief ministers have expressed - that the NCTC has been granted the prerogative to fly into a state, make arrests, and leave with suspects, all without any obligation to consult the state government.
Ms Banerjee said, "According to the constitution, the central government is like a parent, the state governments are like children. The centre must look after its children."
Mr Chidambaram's letter and the enclosed note, attempt to address those concerns.