New Delhi: Amid stiff opposition from non-Congress Chief Ministers and ally Trinamool over NCTC, Congress on Monday asked all parties not to allow issue of national security to cause divisions and to cooperate with the Centre to provide seamless response to terror.
Party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters that the incidents like the Taliban attacks on the Afghanistan capital and a jail break by the terrorists in Pakistan were fresh reminders that political parties in the country should be united in facing terror.
He said that these incidents showed that India lives in a "difficult neighbourhood" and therefore it is incumbent that there should be coordination and cooperation between the Centre and the states to provide seamless response to forces of terror.
His refrain was that there should be "holistic and cohesive" response to the challenges of internal security.
"I am not in the habit of value judgement", he snapped back when asked whether he felt that the non-Congress Chief Ministers were wrong on the issue.
"They are elected chief ministers and I am respectfully pointing out that if any issue requires the attention of the Centre, it is the prerogative of the states to flag them", he said.
Apparently targeting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is opposing the amendment in the BSF Act, Tewari said "if my information was not wrong, there have been 27 per cent vacancies in police force in the BJP ruled state".
He said that there have been "no complaints of misuse" after central forces like ITBP and SSB were given powers that are now sought to be extended to the BSF.
PTI
