New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday assured West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that
the Centre will take the concerns of state governments on
board on the issue of National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)
after she urged him to keep the move in abeyance.
Singh's assurance that he has requested Home Minister P Chidambaram to find ways to address the states' concerns was
given to Banerjee when she met him at his residence, the PMO
said in a release.
However, Banerjee claimed after the meeting that the
Prime Minister gave her an assurance that the proposal to set
up NCTC will be put on hold till a consensus is evolved among
the states.
Banerjee, who has joined several other non-Congress
Chief Ministers in opposing the brain child of the Home
Minister, said she told the Prime Minister that until and
unless consultation with state governments is over or a
consensus is arrived at on the issue, "please do not implement
the executive order on NCTC".
"The notification should not be implemented till then,"
Banerjee told reporters after meeting Singh.
On terrorism, she said, "We are against terrorism. We
are fighting the battle against terror. But at the same if the
state and the Centre do it together then there will be no
confusion."
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 23, 2012, 00:03