'CMs' views on NCTC not counted'

Recalling views expressed by the Chief Ministers of various States, including herself, at the conference on the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) held in Delhi in May this year, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said that during the conference, it was promised that any further action on NCTC would be taken only in consultation with the States. “It appears that these commitments are all being thrown to the winds. The situation has deteriorated to such a level that today the views of the CMs are not even heard, let alone be considered for policy making,” she said.

Jayalalithaa noted that even CMs of Congress-ruled States did not completely accept the move to establish an operations division under the NCTC with powers to arrest and seize and with freedom to operate independent of the State police. She said almost all CMs had opposed the proposal for setting up of a single point of control under the Home Ministry for all anti-terrorist measures. They were of the view that the present system of multi-agency centre at Delhi interacting with the subsidiary multi-agency centres in States was working well.

Jayalalithaa also recalled the view that “action in the form of counter-terrorist operations is better left to the State Police to perform. For this, a Rapid Action Counter Terrorist Force should be created in every State, to function under the nodal State agency. The flow of funds from the Centre for this effect should be liberal so as to enable State agencies to be equipped with modern means of communication and fire power.”