Chidambaram ready to wait for consensus on anti-terror body
Vishwa Mohan |TNN | Mar 1, 2012, 02.36AM IST
NEW DELHI: Amid indications that the Centre may not move further on its ambitious anti-terror body National Counter-Terrorism Centre until the matter is discussed with protesting chief ministers, home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the meeting of director generals of police and chief secretaries of states on March 9 would find "a way forward" and he was ready to wait "as long as it is necessary".
"I am a very patient man, I have been patient since November 2009 and I am willing to be patient for some more time," Chidambaram said.
Asked how long he would be patient, he said "as long as it is necessary", an indication that the home ministry, which had first mooted the proposal to set up NCTC over two years ago, does not seem to be in a hurry to push it through. Operationalisation of the counter-terror body was put off from the original plan of March 1.
Asked if he would meet the protesting chief ministers, Chidambaram said this would depend upon the meeting on March 9. "All I said in my letter is that before we take the next step, I have asked the home secretary to call a meeting... so let's wait for the meeting," he said.
His remarks came on a day when one of the protesting CMs - Naveen Patnaik of Odisha - made it clear that states would not budge from its stand until the matter was discussed at the highest level. "I am disappointed to find, sir, that a meeting has been called by the Union home secretary with state director generals of police," Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.
He demanded that instead of a meeting chaired by the Union home secretary, an "immediate meeting of chief ministers be called to address the concerns of states on this very urgent matter regarding the security of the nation".
Referring to the March 9 meeting, the home minister, however, said, "I am confident that this meeting will find a way forward. My note (to chief ministers who opposed to the powers and functions of the NCTC) is self explanatory. I think the note should, I believe, have allayed many of the apprehensions including apprehensions of a section of the media and therefore let us hope that the meeting convened by the HS will find a way forward."
The home minister pointed out that the busting of an Lashker-e-Taiba module on Wednesday underscored the need for NCTC. Asked whether it was necessary to give powers to NCTC to arrest, Chidambaram said these powers were only vested with the operational unit of NCTC and not everyone.
He said that in absence of powers to arrest, NCTC would not be able to conduct counter-terror operations and would have to depend on some other agency to do the counter-terrorism part. "This will all be discussed in the DGPs meeting," the home minister said.......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEyLzAzLzAxI0FyMDA4MDE=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Vishwa Mohan |TNN | Mar 1, 2012, 02.36AM IST
NEW DELHI: Amid indications that the Centre may not move further on its ambitious anti-terror body National Counter-Terrorism Centre until the matter is discussed with protesting chief ministers, home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the meeting of director generals of police and chief secretaries of states on March 9 would find "a way forward" and he was ready to wait "as long as it is necessary".
"I am a very patient man, I have been patient since November 2009 and I am willing to be patient for some more time," Chidambaram said.
Asked how long he would be patient, he said "as long as it is necessary", an indication that the home ministry, which had first mooted the proposal to set up NCTC over two years ago, does not seem to be in a hurry to push it through. Operationalisation of the counter-terror body was put off from the original plan of March 1.
Asked if he would meet the protesting chief ministers, Chidambaram said this would depend upon the meeting on March 9. "All I said in my letter is that before we take the next step, I have asked the home secretary to call a meeting... so let's wait for the meeting," he said.
His remarks came on a day when one of the protesting CMs - Naveen Patnaik of Odisha - made it clear that states would not budge from its stand until the matter was discussed at the highest level. "I am disappointed to find, sir, that a meeting has been called by the Union home secretary with state director generals of police," Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.
He demanded that instead of a meeting chaired by the Union home secretary, an "immediate meeting of chief ministers be called to address the concerns of states on this very urgent matter regarding the security of the nation".
Referring to the March 9 meeting, the home minister, however, said, "I am confident that this meeting will find a way forward. My note (to chief ministers who opposed to the powers and functions of the NCTC) is self explanatory. I think the note should, I believe, have allayed many of the apprehensions including apprehensions of a section of the media and therefore let us hope that the meeting convened by the HS will find a way forward."
The home minister pointed out that the busting of an Lashker-e-Taiba module on Wednesday underscored the need for NCTC. Asked whether it was necessary to give powers to NCTC to arrest, Chidambaram said these powers were only vested with the operational unit of NCTC and not everyone.
He said that in absence of powers to arrest, NCTC would not be able to conduct counter-terror operations and would have to depend on some other agency to do the counter-terrorism part. "This will all be discussed in the DGPs meeting," the home minister said.......http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEyLzAzLzAxI0FyMDA4MDE=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
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