Hyderabad: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers to discuss threadbare the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) issue and ally the fears of states.
Addressing a press conference here, he said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram writing letters to Chief Ministers of 11 states, who had opposed it, would not suffice and a meeting of State Directors General of Police (DGPs) for consultation was also not a solution.
Naidu said the Centre should first take corrective steps on the NCTC before taking a final decision.
Till such time, it should be put on hold not withstanding the March 1 deadline.
Faulting the UPA Government on the manner of its dealing with such a serious and sensitive matter like terrorism, the Former BJP President said terrorism was a threat to the entire country.
‘Both the Centre and the states should join together and become partners in the fight against terrorism,’ he observed.
Stating the NCTC was an assault on federal structure of the country, he said there was virtual revolt over the issue ‘which was notified without taking the state governments into confidence.’ Naidu said the NCTC was being set up ‘unilaterally’ without consulting the states and added the step taken by the Centre was against the federal system.
He reminded the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs had also demanded putting NCTC on hold till consultations were held with the states.
Himself the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr Naidu said the NCTC issue was not discussed at the National Development Council (NDC) and Chief Ministers’ meeting.
Besides, the opinion of States, too, had not been taken, he alleged.
Naidu said the ‘hallmark of the UPA Government’ was acting in haste and repenting in leisure.
‘For every step forward, they take three steps backward,’ he remarked.
He said in November 2011, the UPA Government had to roll back the fuel price hike, the same was the case with regard to allowing FDI in multi-brand retail and subsequently it had to be put on hold.
Even on Lok Pal, the government had behaved in a causal manner and desisted from voting in Rajya Sabha, he alleged. The BJP leader said the Teesta Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh fell through after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s protest and the Centre also wanted to amend the RPF Act to give it police powers.
The transfer of police powers was a severe violation of the Constitutional spirit and a blow to the federal structure of India, he claimed.
On the issue of decriminalisation of homosexuality, the Home Ministry’s clarification which distances itself from the position taken by Additional Solicitor General in the Supreme Court is another instance of divergent voices on the issue, Mr Naidu opined.
These actions of the UPA Government will only weaken the unity of the country and set the states and Centre on collision course, Mr Naidu cautioned. (UNI)
