Click to play videoUnion Home Minister P Chiadambaram says the role of the National Security Advisor should be cut down from being an intelligence overlord to an advisor to the Prime Minister.
He made the statement in a exclusive interview to Vir Sanghvi for Network18 channel CNBC-TV18.
P Chiadambaram: I did not take over any of his responsibilities. All I said was whoever is doing whatever must be under political oversight and I happen to be the political oversight and therefore everyone accepted it.
Vir Sanghvi: Which is a departure from what did happen before, it didn't happen during Advani's time Shivraj Patil's time it did happen. In a way the home ministry did assert itself over the NSA - whether it was Mr Brajesh Mishra or Mr Narayanan who was his successor.
P Chiadambaram: That's how it should be. Isn't it?
Vir Sanghvi: I personally agree that's how it should be but it wasn't how it was.
P Chiadambaram: It wasn't for whatever reason I don't know but if I was going to be responsible and I was made responsible and that day then I would make sure what was going on. And the only way I would know what is going on what happened and what did not happen was to exercise political oversight on every agency that was concerned with security
Vir Sanghvi: My question to you therefore is, what is the role of the NSA? Should he be an intelligence overlord to whom all the chiefs of intelligence report or should he be an advisor to the PM.
P Chiadambaram: Essentially I think he isn't the advisor to the PM, an advisor to the National Security Council. Surely he must be in the loop as far as internal security is concerned. How can he not be in the loop? But whether he should have executive responsibility given the pressures of work and time, I think is an open question. My personal view is that he should have very few executive responsibilities as far as internal security is concerned .I think that should be given to other professionals.
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