Logjam continues on NCTC
The non-Congress chief ministers opposition came notwithstanding appeals from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram for a broad consensus.
Even Congress ally National Conference voiced reservations over the NCTC in its present form saying it makes it as stringent as the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of Assam also wanted that Centre should take into confidence the states before undertaking operations.
Significantly, BJP leader and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said they would support NCTC if their suggestions are incorporated and NCTC is suitably amended.
Briefing reporters, he said all the Chief Ministers recognised the need for an NCTC or a similar organization.
“As expected, there was strong support for NCTC by many Chief Ministers, qualified support from many CMs and outright rejection of the idea by three CMs.”
He said the principal concerns were one why is it located in the IB and two why do personnel of NCTC or a similar organisation have to undertake, even on an exceptional circumstances, operations on its own?
“We will examine the two issues…why it will be under IB and why it will carry out operations under exceptional circumstance operations on its own?
The meeting, convened by the Centre to bridge differences with the states, especially fifteen non-Congress Chief Ministers who opposed the NCTC, saw UPA ally Trinamool Congress outright rejecting it.
Trinamool Congress Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would not settle down for anything less than rescinding the February 2012 executive order announcing the formation of NCTC.
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