New Delhi:
Chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee are not attending a meeting of Chief Ministers in the Capital today, where the government is expected to attempt another hardsell of anti-terror body, the National Counter Terrorism Centre, to the states, many of which have been opposed to setting up such a hub. A new strategy to counter Naxalism will also be discussed at the one-day meet on internal security.
Here are the latest developments in the story:
In his opening remarks, the PM said the states and the Centre should join hands to tackle the problems of internal security. "The time has come now to see the challenges of terrorism, communal violence, insurgency in a holistic manner. I urge everyone to work together to effectively tackle these situations," he said. (Read PM's full speech)
Speaking at the meeting, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde drew attention to Naxalism and cross-border terrorism. He has expressed concern at "Pakistan trying to revive Punjab militancy," and at "the Nepal and Bangladesh borders being used by Pakistan-based terror groups," which he said, "are regularly funding terror through the Gulf and West to fund terror attacks in India."
The Centre is bracing for some sharp attacks from the states. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has said, "The Union Government is quick enough to recognize the need for a dedicated law for tackling match-fixing, but the government fails to see the need for a dedicated law against terrorism."
As he arrived at the Vigyan Bhawan venue this morning, Mr Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar passed each other without looking the other's way. The two leaders belong to allied parties, the BJP and the Janata Dal (United), but make no attempt to mask their antipathy to the other. (Nitish Kumar, Narendra Modi ignore each other at chief ministers' meet)
Tamil Nadu CM Ms Jayalalithaa said she was skipping the meeting called by the PM as "such conferences held by the Centre have become an "annual ritualistic exercise and very little opportunity is given to chief ministers to express their views". West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has forwarded no reason for her absence.
The meeting will also deliberate extensively on the activities of Pakistan-based terrorist groups, infiltration from across the border, communal disturbance and how to improve intelligence gathering mechanism.
A new strategy to counter Naxalism will be discussed in the wake of the May 25 attack on a Congress rally in Chhattisgarh in which 27 people died including top Congress leaders of the state.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh of the BJP said today that the time for talks with Naxals "is over." "There is no question of any compromise with such forces. We are fighting, and we'll continue to do that. The recent Naxal attack in the state has ruled out any option of dialogue with them. There will be no talks. The fight against Naxalites will be intensified," Mr Singh told NDTV.
The government had originally wanted to allow the NCTC to have the right to operate, when necessary, without keeping states in the loop, to prevent information leaks. However, after unequivocal criticism by state governments, the anti-terror hub was abandoned last year. To coalesce support, the government has now re-diagrammed it. The NCTC expected to be proposed today is a much watered-down version of the one proposed by former Home Minister P Chidambaram last year. For instance, the NCTC in its current avatar cannot carry out anti-terror operations on its own. On the contrary, the new draft proposal says operations, if any, "will be carried out through or in conjunction with the state police." (NCTC unlikely to go through at security meet)
The CMs will also discuss police reforms, filling up of vacancies in police forces, modernisation of police forces, enhanced security to women and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeastern region.
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