Adding strength to the voice against the setting up of a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Communist Party of India on Saturday disapproved the move and said the objection of several Chief Ministers was justified since the Centre transgresses on the powers of the State government, and goes against the federal structure and spirit of the Constitution.
``It is highly authoritarian on the part of the Home Ministry, to initiate the establishment of a new powerful National Centre without proper debate and discussion with the Chief Ministers of States. It is also necessary to discuss it in Parliament, which will be meeting in the second week of March as it involves the Centre-State relations,” the party Central Secretariat said in a statement here.
Rejecting the explanation by the Home Ministry that the NCTC was being formed for better coordination among different agencies to fight terror, it said the move would lead to a situation that the NCTC would get sweeping powers. “There is danger of politicising the powers vested in it. ”The party said that on one pretext or the other there was a growing tendency of taking on powers of States which would create tensions and unhealthy atmosphere and affect the federal policy of the country. Stating that it vehemently opposed such tendency, the CPI urged all democratic forces to stand up in defence of federalism in India.
