States opposed to NCTC voice concerns over erosion of federal set up

Gujarat and Punjab yesterday made it clear that they were totally opposed to the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre as it could potentially infringe on the powers of the state police while five other non-Congress states said it was not acceptable in the present form and they wanted it reworked.

The NCTC, which has run into opposition from the chief ministers of a dozen non-Congress non-Congress, came up for discussion at a high-level meeting chaired by union home secretary R K Singh and attended by states' chief secretaries, home secretaries and police chiefs.

The representatives of Gujarat and Punjab, while making it clear that this was the brief of the political government of the respective states, said any move to have a body like NCTC would apart from infringing upon the powers of the state police also disturb the federal structure of the country, according to unnamed official sources cited by PTI.

Officials of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka made it clear that the NCTC needed to be fine-tuned and the sweeping powers it envisaged to be conferred on the center were not acceptable.

Officials from West Bengal, ruled by UPA ally Trinamool Congress, said the states would have to be consulted on the issue, making it clear at the same time that powers of the states could not be eroded.

Following the day-long meeting, the home ministry, in a statement, said the primary concerns expressed by the states were rooted in the modalities and details of operational coordination between the states and NCTC.