Address concerns over NCTC, says PM as Mamata ups ante

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Stepping up pressure on the government, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday evening seeking to put on hold setting up of the controversial National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

She told PM the government should not proceed with the anti-terror body till a “consensus is evolved”.
Dr Singh, however, merely assured her he would ask home minister P. Chidambaram to address concerns of various state governments. This was made clear by PMO in a release.

However, Ms Banerjee claimed after the meeting that the Prime Minister gave her an assurance that the proposal to set up NCTC would be put on hold till a consensus was evolved among states.

At their 15-minute meeting, Ms Banerjee also discussed issues such as Gorkhaland and Farakka Barrage.

Speaking to reporters outside PM’s residence, she said: “I told the Prime Minister that till a consensus is arrived at, the NCTC notification should not be implemented.”

Ms Banerjee said Dr Singh told her NCTC was envisaged way back in 2001. “I asked him what was the need to force the setting up of NCTC after 11 years?”

Ms Banerjee, who has joined several other non-Congress CMs in opposing the brain child of the home minister, said she told PM until consultation with state governments was over or a consensus was arrived at on the issue, “please do not implement the executive order on NCTC”.

She clarified she was not against fighting terrorism. “We are fighting a battle against terror. But if states and the Centre do it together, there will not be any confusion.”

With NCTC turning into a major political crisis for his government, the Prime Minister had written to seven chief ministers Tuesday assuring them the Centre had no intention of usurping states’ powers.