New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday strongly defended his pet project, the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which he said would be an ‘important pillar’ of the country’s security infrastructure.
In a bid to dispel fears of some chief ministers that the proposed anti-terror intelligence hub would infringe on their policing domain, the home minister stressed that countering terrorism ‘is a shared responsibility’ of central and state governments.
“I wish to assure you and the people of India that counter terrorism is a shared responsibility. That is what the constitution says, that is the practical and prudent way forward,” Chidambaram said in his address to chief ministers here on the controversial NCTC, whose formation has been put on hold following vehement opposition from non-Congress ruled states.
Chidambaram said the government in collaboration with states had neutralised 21 terror modules in the past one year but there were cases related to ‘jihadi terrorists’ and Maoists, where, despite inputs regarding the presence of terrorists, the security agencies did not act ‘either due to lack of capacity or lack of a timely decision’.
“What should the central government do in such cases?” he asked, and stressed that the NCTC “will be an important pillar of the new security architecture” of India that will enhance the counter terror capabilities of states as well as the central government.
The minister said: “When the state governments build more capacity and inter-state cooperation becomes more effective, I suppose the central government can — and will — step back.” (IANS)