Click to play videoKolkata: The States vs Centre battle over the anti-terror body National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) has escalated. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee snubbed the UPA yet again and remained absent from the inauguration of a National Security Guards (NSG) hub in Kolkata on Saturday. The NSG hub was inaugurated by Home Minister P Chidambaram.
Mamata's name was also deleted from the programme brochure prepared by the state government.
This came a day after eight chief ministers including Mamata came out against a proposed powerful counter-terror intelligence hub, saying it infringed on the rights of states.
But sticking to his stand, the Home Minister, who is in the line of fire insisted that security is a joint responsibility of the State and Centre. He also said that the Centre's approach on issues like terrorism and Naxalism is uniform and not state-specific.
The Centre has decided to go ahead with the NCTC despite opposition from several states. Sources say the Home Ministry will stick to its plan to make the anti-terror body operational from March 1.
States will be reassured that the federal structure won't be compromised with.
Mamata Banerjee joined three chief ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh as well as Janata Dal-United's Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Biju Janata Dal's Naveen Patnaik in Orissa, AIADMK's J Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu, and Parkash Singh Badal in Punjab in opposing the move to set up the NCTC.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu also spoke out against the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
UPA ally Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi have all individually written to the Prime Minister asking to review or withdraw the NCTC order as it undermines the powers of states.
Mamata in her letter to the Prime Minister apprehended that the agency might undermine the states' control over law and order.
Mamata wrote in her letter, dated February 14, "It is difficult for the state government to accept such arbitrary exercise of power by the Central government... which have a bearing on the rights and privilege of the states as enshrined in the Constitution of India."
"This has not been done in the instant case. The order, therefore, appears to be an infringement on the powers of state governments in matters of investigation and maintenance of order," she wrote.
She asked the prime minister to "review and withdraw" the order on organisation, function, power and duties of the NCTC.
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