Jayalalithaa shoots third letter to PM on NCTC

Chennai: Asserting that the proposed NCTC will be a "non-starter" without states' involvement, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene a meeting of chief ministers as the March 12 meeting of officials will "not serve the purpose".

In a letter to Singh, she said, "The proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre will be a non-starter without the involvement of the state governments. All state governments are concerned about proper maintenance of public peace and order and hence pay maximum attention to it."

Holding that the constitution of NCTC was an attack on the federal structure of the Constitutional framework, she said Centre should have initiated a consultation process through a formal communication, "particularly when state Governments and Union Home Ministry have to work together in a coordinated fashion to eliminate the scourge of terrorism".

She said that in such a situation, the March 12 meeting convened by the Union Home Secretary will not suffice.

"The fight against terrorism is a national priority. A meeting chaired by the Union Home Secretary will not serve the purpose, since larger issues concerning the Constitution are involved and particularly when many Chief Ministers have expressed their concerns to you directly."

"I request you to convene a meeting with the chief ministers of all the states at your level after circulating a background paper that will speak about the roles of the Centre and the states and offer insights as to how they can work together in this national effort," she added.

Recalling her letters written to him on NCTC, she, however, said she was 'surprised' that instead of a response from him, Union Home Ministry had sent a communication to the state Chief Secretary asking him to attend the March 12 meeting along with the Home Secretary and the DGP.

The chief minister, however, said she had instructed the officials to attend the meeting.

Jayalalithaa had recently joined a chorus of chief ministers, including Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) and Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal) to oppose the NCTC on grounds that it was an attack on the federal structure and that the states were not consulted.