Will step back if states can handle terror: PC

On the firing line for encroaching on states’ powers over NCTC, home minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday regretted the trust deficit between the Centre and “some states” and offered to step back if state governments accept the responsibility to handle security problems on their own.

On the firing line for encroaching on states’ powers over NCTC, home minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday regretted the trust deficit between the Centre and “some states” and offered to step back if state governments accept the responsibility to handle security problems on their own.

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The minister said it was “unfortunate” that some states harbour mistrust against the central government.

He, however, added there was no way the states could fight terrorism and naxalism on their own without central assistance. The Centre too cannot do it alone, he said, emphasising that the most important message from Monday’s conference was that the Centre and the states had to work together.

In this, Chidambaram suggested chief ministers of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, Narendra Modi and J Jayalalithaa, respectively — who had taken strident positions at the CM’s conference — were exceptions, not the rule.

The minister said there were “many many other chief ministers” who stressed on centre-state cooperation at the CM conference on internal security.

“We will circulate the draft standard operating procedures (on NCTC) before the meeting and I am confident that the May 5 meeting will resolve the differences,” he said, referring to the meeting convened to discuss the NCTC’s controversial powers of search, seizure and arrest.

“This is a decision taken after careful study by the Kamal Kishore committee,” he said.