Chandigarh, Feb 24 (IANS)
The Punjab cabinet Friday rejected the proposal of the central government to set up the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), saying it encroaches upon the rights of state governments.
"The cabinet rejected the proposal ... to set up the NCTC as it is against the concept of federalism and encroaches upon the rights of state governments," a government spokesman said after the outgoing cabibet's last meeting here.
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal had earlier opposed the move to set up the NCTC.
NCTC has been opposed by many chief ministers including BJP-ruled states. The Trinamool Congress has also opposed the NCTC, saying it would infringe on the rights of states on security matters.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had sought to reach out to seven of the over 10 chief ministers opposing the NCTC. He wrote letters to the chief ministers of Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Other chief ministers to oppose the move are from Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Jharkhand.
The resistance to the anti-terror intelligence hub, which is the brainchild of Home Minister P. Chidambaram, continued to grow after it was first voiced by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The overwhelming opposition to the proposed NCTC was on the grounds that it will be under the Intelligence Bureau, which is out of the purview of parliamentary oversight, and infringe upon the states' powers to deal with terrorism.
"The cabinet rejected the proposal ... to set up the NCTC as it is against the concept of federalism and encroaches upon the rights of state governments," a government spokesman said after the outgoing cabibet's last meeting here.
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal had earlier opposed the move to set up the NCTC.
NCTC has been opposed by many chief ministers including BJP-ruled states. The Trinamool Congress has also opposed the NCTC, saying it would infringe on the rights of states on security matters.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had sought to reach out to seven of the over 10 chief ministers opposing the NCTC. He wrote letters to the chief ministers of Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Other chief ministers to oppose the move are from Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Jharkhand.
The resistance to the anti-terror intelligence hub, which is the brainchild of Home Minister P. Chidambaram, continued to grow after it was first voiced by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The overwhelming opposition to the proposed NCTC was on the grounds that it will be under the Intelligence Bureau, which is out of the purview of parliamentary oversight, and infringe upon the states' powers to deal with terrorism.
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