Mamata opposes NCTC, asks PM to withdraw order

West Bengal chief minister joins forces with Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik

PTI | February 17, 2012



West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked prime minister Manmohan Singh to "review and withdraw" the order on organisation, function, power and duties of the newly constituted National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the ministry of home affairs.

Expressing concern over the alleged infringement of federal rights of states, Banerjee in a letter to the prime minister, dated February 14, said: "It is difficult for the state government to accept such arbitrary exercise of power by the central government/central agency, which have a bearing on the rights and privilege of the states as enshrined in the constitution of India."

Banerjee's letter to the prime minister issued by the Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's office here on Thursday said that in a federal structure, any decision of the central government, which infringed upon the powers and rights of the state governments should be taken only after adequate consultation and with the consent of the state governments.

"This has not been done in the instant case," she said, adding that the present order did not require that the NCTC would discharge its functions in coordination and consultation with the state police or the state government.

"The order, therefore, appears to be an infringement on the powers of state governments in matters of investigation and maintenance of order," she said in the letter.

Under this order issued, dated February 3, Banerjee said extensive powers have been given to the NCTC located in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and added that officers of the Operations Division of the NCTC will have the power to arrest and the powers to search under section 4 3-A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Also all authorities including the functionaries of the state governments are required to provide information/documents to the NCTC, Banerjee said.

Earlier, on February 13, Patnaik had written to the prime minister opposing the powers to the newly constituted NCTC.

"I have written a strongly worded letter to the Prime Minister opposing the powers given to the NCTC," Patnaik said.

Patnaik had also described the February 3 MHA order as "draconian."

Comments

 

Other News

Borrowing troubles: How small loans are quietly trapping youth

A silent crisis is playing out in the pocket of young India, not in stock markets or government treasuries, but in smartphones of college students and first-jobbers who clicked on the Apply Now button without reading the small print.  A decade ago, to take a loan, you had to do some paperwor

A 19th-century pilgrim’s progress

The Travels of a Sadhu in the Himalayas By Jaladhar Sen (Translated by Somdatta Mandal) Speaking Tiger Books, 259 pages, ₹499.00  

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter