Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik lambasted Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for opposing the formation of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to combat terrorism at the security meet held at New Delhi on June 5.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has once again failed to rise above narrow partisan consideration in looking at national security and the threat posed by various terrorist and disruptive forces to public safety, Patnaik said.
In a federal and democratic country with free movement of individuals and goods across State borders, there has to be a strong coordinating body, Patnaik said and criticised the BJD for continuing to oppose the formation of NCTC simply for the sake of opposition.
This opposition by BJD reveals a lack of resolve to fight terrorism and a cavalier attitude to national security, he said and added that the BJD’s stand on the NCTC proves its actual thinking that public safety is secondary to the party’s primary political agenda of Centre bashing.
In the first round of discussion on NCTC, the Chief Minister had claimed that he does not oppose the idea in principle, but want a proper consultation and some provisions of the original proposal to be modified.
Even after necessary consultations and changes suggested by the State, which have been incorporated, Naveen is still opposing the idea, Patnaik said and added that opposition for the sake of opposition on some pretext or the other has become the hallmark of BJD’s opportunistic politics.
During the security meet, on one hand the Chief Minister demanded two more battalions of Central forces to be added to existing 16 battalions deployed in the State and more resources, while on the other hand, he claimed that the Centre is intruding into federal rights of States, he added.