PM assures wary Oppn CMs on security cooperation

TMC, AIADMK repeat strong criticsm of NCTC idea; PM promises in-depth discussion at May 5 meet; Chidambaram stresses Naxal threat

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday categorically said the UPA government was ready to work with states to put in place a “strong and effective” institutional mechanism to tackle terrorism.

The PM was addressing the CMs’ meet on internal security, in the backdrop of the concerns of CMs of Opposition ruled states against implementation of the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee,vocal in her criticism of the NCTC, although formally also a coalition partner in the UPA, was not present. Her finance minister, Amit Mitra, read out her speech. In which, Banerjee as categorically stated the NCTC "upsets the federal structure of the country" and she would elaborate her views in person during the exclusive meeting on NCTC on May 5.

Said the PM: “We will discuss the NCTC on May 5 in a separate meeting, as some chief ministers suggested. There is no question that the burden of the fight against terrorism falls largely on the states’ machinery. The Centre is ready to work with states to put in place strong and effective institutional mechanisms to tackle this problem.”.

He stressed the necessity for accurate and timely intelligence to defeat, prevent and counter terrorism. “We have made some progress in strengthening our intelligence gathering apparatus and establishing NATGRID. The operationalising of four NSG (National Security Guard) hubs and NIA (National Investigation Agency) branch offices are other instances,” Singh told the CMs.

Elaborating his vision on security architecture for the country, home minister P Chidambaram emphasised that left wing extremism (LWE) was the most formidable security threat before the country. Maoists were trying to make an entry into Assam and set up links with militants in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

“I have a vision of the overall security architecture that the country needs and deserves. Some elements like the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) and the subsidiary MACs at the state capitals are in place, NATGRID work is in progress, the crime and criminal tracking network (CCTNS) is under implementation since 2010 but only 16 of 35 states have completed the task. I am afraid that while CCTNS is progressing, it is nine months behind schedule,” Chidam-baram told the CMs.

A scathing attack on the Union government was made by Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. She said there was an emerging pattern, where the powers of the state governments were being abrogated by the Union government through several bills. “Lack of consultation with the states and failure to take the states into confidence is a cogent commentary on the system of governance in the Centre,” she said.

Trenchant criticism of the Centre also came from Gujarat’s Narendra Modi who said the strained relations between Union government and the defence forces was having an impact on internal security.

In the course of the meet, the Congress-NCP combine running the Maharashtra government demanded powers to requisition aircraft during terrorist strikes and stressed on better intelligence gathering. Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said militancy in the state would be controlled if the India-Myanmar border was guarded better.