New Delhi:
In yet another setback to the Centre's move to establish a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Punjab Cabinet has rejected the proposal.
"The Cabinet also rejected the proposal of the Union government to set up National Counter Terror Centre (NCTC) as the same was against the concept of federalism and encroaches upon the rights of the state governments," a statement from Punjab Chief Minister's Office said.
A group of seven chief ministers, including Mamata Banerjee, are already opposing the Centre's move saying the new counter-terror agency trespasses into state turf, and therefore violates the country's federal structure.
Ms Banerjee even met the Prime Minister on Wednesday asking him to suspend the executive order issued earlier this month that sanctions the NCTC. She said this is essential to avoid confusion while the Centre holds talks with the state governments who have serious reservations about the new anti-terror agency. Ms Banerjee said Dr Manmohan Singh agreed to this request.
The Prime Minister recently wrote to the Group of seven opposing chief ministers, assuring them that the Centre is committed to protecting the principles of federalism. He said the NCTC is located within the Intelligence Bureau which "coordinates counter-terrorism efforts throughout the country. It is for this reason that the NCTC has been located within the IB and not as a separate organisation."
Dr Singh wrote that he has noted the chief ministers' concerns and asked Home Minister P Chidambaram to engage with them. The NCTC has been championed by Mr Chidambaram since 26/11 when 10 Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people in Mumbai.
But the blueprint for the NCTC has outraged non-Congress state governments, who have to the Prime Minister with ferocious critiques of the NCTC. Some like Odisha's Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu's Jayalalithaa sent two letters to the PM, asking him to review and withdraw the order that creates the NCTC. The conglomerate of political heavyweights opposed to the NCTC includes Gujarat's Narendra Modi and Bihar's Nitish Kumar. But given her status as a senior member of the UPA coalition at the Centre, it's Ms Banerjee's take that carries maximum weight.