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The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has decided to convene a separate meeting of the State Chief Ministers on May 5, to discuss the issue of setting up the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
The Government has also decided to drop the NCTC from the 10-point agenda for the Chief Ministers' meeting on internal security scheduled for April 16.
The Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Orissa and Tamil Nadu had separately written to the Prime Minister seeking a meeting of Chief Ministers with NCTC as the only agenda. They had protested against the Government's decision to club the issue of NCTC with the other matters for the meeting on April 16. States ruled by the National Democratic Alliance, along with Left-ruled Tripura, had also demanded a meeting of Chief Ministers on the crucial issue.
Opposition
The regional parties, Left and the BJP opposed the NCTC, alleging that the proposed body was against the “federal structure” of the country. Politically, the issue led to the creation of a “federal front” ahead of the Budget session of Parliament.
The Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, wrote to the West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday informing her that the meeting on May 5 will be to discuss the NCTC.
On Monday, the National Security Advisor, Mr Shiv Shankar Menon, had said that the “national debate” on NCTC should be brought to a “rational conclusion.”
The Congress has been maintaining that it was ready for discussions on the matter. “On the floor of the House and outside, the Prime Minister and Home Minister have clearly stated that they are open to consultations on the issue,” Congress spokesman, Mr Manish Tewari, said on Monday.
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