Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik on Monday said he had no intention of politicising the
campaign against terror as alleged by some union ministers and
his primary objection to NCTC was the 'high-handed' manner in
which the important issue was handled by the Centre.
"Let me assure you that I have no intention to
politicise the campaign against terror as has been stated by
some of your ministers and senior officers to the media,"
Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The chief minister asserted that he was strongly
opposed to terrorism and extremism in any form and had always
been with the Centre in the fight against them.
"Let me make it clear that terrorism and extremism are
scourges which need to be fought by the nation unitedly,"
Patnaik, who was the first among chief ministers to oppose
Centre's February 3 notification on the organisation, function
and powers of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC),
said in the letter.
"Prior consultation with states would have greatly
strengthened the process of national security in which our
aims are identical," Patnaik said adding he was surprised to
find no response from the Prime Minister's Office or Ministry
of Home Affairs to his letter of February 13 on the matter.
Asking the Prime Minister to 'urgently initiate'
consultation with states, he said the order should be enforced
with necessary modification.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 20, 2012, 23:10