BHUBANESWAR: He had kicked up a row with his opposition to the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and soon 13 other chief ministers joined the chorus. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is now waiting for consultation with the Home Minister. “The Prime Minister has stated clearly that the chief ministers who had written to him showing anxiety and concern over the NCTC would be consulted,” Naveen told mediapersons here on Wednesday. He received a letter from the Prime Minister the previous day.Naveen said like every chief minister and citizen of the nation, he is also concerned about the country’s security and menace of terrorism and extremism. “Let us wait for the next step of the Centre, response of the Union Home Minister,” he said. Chief ministers of at least 13 states, including West Bengal headed by UPA ally Trinamool Congress, have voiced concerns over formation of the body, which they claimed would usurp the states’ powers and disturb the federal structure.In identical letters to seven chief ministers who had written to him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured them that states’ powers would not be affected and Home Minister P Chidambaram would talk to them.In his letter to Naveen, the Prime Minister said in forming the NCTC, it is not the government’s intent in any way to affect the basic features of the constitutional provisions and allocation of powers between the states and the Union. The primary purpose of the NCTC is to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts throughout the country, as the IB has been doing so far, he said and added that it is for this reason that the NCTC has been located within the IB and not as a separate entity.The Prime Minister said the idea of the NCTC has been under consideration by the Government since the group of ministers (GoM) report of 2001 suggested a joint task force on intelligence. The report was approved by the then government. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission had also suggested establishment of a national centre for counter-terrorism.
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