17.4.12

Homeland Security meet



Faced with strong opposition from non-Congress states on the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Centre took a moderate line stressing on coordination with states to tackle the challenges of internal security. Without dwelling on the NCTC issue, PM Manmohan Singh underlined the importance of states’ role in fighting terrorism. Non-Congress CMs including UPA ally Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Orissa’s Naveen Patnaik, Tamil Nadu’s J Jayalalithaa and Gujarat’s Narendra Modi had raised objections to the provisions in the NCTC, arguing that it would upset the federal structure and encroach on the powers of the states. The PM warned that threats from terrorism, left wing extremism, religious fundamentalism and ethnic violence persist in the country. “Like other internal security matters, we need joint and coordinated efforts to deal with the challenge of terrorism, whatever be its origin, whether internal or external, and whatever its motivation," Singh said. He added, "Today, terrorist groups are nimble, more lethal than ever and increasingly networked across frontiers." Home minister P Chidambaram also spoke in a similar vein saying there was no conflict between the central and state agencies and they worked together on the ground to deal with terrorists. Recounting data, the home minister said in 2011, 18 terror modules were neutralised and 53 persons arrested and in the first three months of 2012, three modules were neutralised and 11 persons arrested.

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