NCTC a poorly conceived idea: Modi

Expresses strong reservations about the structure and functioning proposed in National Counter Terrorism Centre Order, 2013

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today raise concerns over the new draft on National Counter Terrorism Centre, terming it a "poorly conceived" idea which "tinkers" with old ideas rather than strengthening them.

"It is not clear how big it is going to be, what forces are going to comprise it, how exactly it is going to function and which statute will it derive its powers from. I think such poorly conceived ideas which tinker with age old existing systems rather than strengthening them are going to do irreparable loss to our internal security apparatus," he said.

Modi said he was slightly worried about the last minute circulation of proposed order on NCTC.

He said, "The fact that it is on the agenda and gets a passing mention should not be construed as a consultation with the states much less an arriving of consensus on this issue."

Speaking at the conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security, the Gujarat Chief Minister said the new draft circulated has taken into consideration some of the concerns raised by the states but even then serious concerns remain.

Modi expressed his strong reservations about the structure and functioning proposed in the National Counter Terrorism Centre Order, 2013.

"Moving the multi-agency centre (MAC) from within IB to the proposed NCTC will end up weakening it even as it appeared that it was taking some concrete shape. The proposed NCTC will be just another superstructure in the maze of institutions already existing," he said.

Modi said proposed structure of the NCTC is not in congruence with the principles of federalism as it essentially tries to create a "federal police" which is an alien concept to the country.

"I fear that it will be another institution of the Centre for political misuse against opposition-ruled states," the Gujarat Chief Minister said.

Modi said the creation of any new institution or organisation of this nature should be done only after having a complete unanimity amongst the Centre and the states.

"The inability of the Centre to coordinate efforts with states to achieve consensus on such issues emanates from the unwillingness on its part to recognise the states as equal partners in handling issues related to internal security. It also exhibits a strong sense of one-upmanship and a contempt for the constitutional division of powers," he said.

The Chief Minister said instead of creating a new institution in the form of NCTC, MAC should be strengthened and it should undertake a massive drive for augmenting the operational abilities of the existing security forces.

"Multiplicity of agencies will only create more confusions and ineffectiveness at the field level," he said.

Modi expressed his concerns about purported threat of CPI (Maoist) to target areas of the country which are the drivers of the industrial progress of the country.

"Their main target, as per their own words; is the 'Golden Corridor' of the Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad industrial belt, which also includes the major industrial clusters of Surat and Baroda. Given this background, I am disappointed once again by the short-sightedness of today's agenda.

"While the LWE (Left wing extremism) affected states fully deserve all priority in the security response of the country, it will be an extremely myopic approach to ignore the security concerns of the LWE targeted regions," Modi said.

Modi criticised poor tangible outcomes of such meetings and said such meetings should be zealously guarded from becoming mere fora for academic exchanges or getting reduced to annual rituals.

"Now, more than ever before, we need firm political will to unite as a nation and its leaders, for charting a clear and decisive direction on this critical matter of Internal Security," he said.