After diluting the controversial provisions of the ambitious National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde is preparing to get the states’ nod for the anti-terror body during the forthcoming chief ministers’ conference on internal security. The MHA has diluted the NCTC proposal, originally envisaged to carry out anti-terror operations by making arrests and seizures, to give states police forces the lead in such operations. Non-Congress chief ministers had opposed the wide ranging powers given to the central body terming it an infringement on the federal rights of states. In a bid to bring the CMs on board, Mr Shinde on Thursday said all the apprehensions of the opposing chief ministers have been allayed as the “operations” part has been taken out from the anti-terror body. “There is nothing to oppose in the NCTC now. The operations part (of the NCTC) has been taken out. I am hopeful that the NCTC will be approved during the CMs’ conference,” Mr Shinde told agency. He said the local police will make the arrests in any case and, hence, the state governments would be involved with the NCTC. The establishment of the body is expected to be discussed during the internal security meeting of the chief ministers in mid-April. In the next few days, the home ministry is expected to circulate a note on the diluted version of the NCTC to all chief ministers to examine it and formulate their views for the meeting. The last meeting of the chief ministers, held on March 5 last year had failed to evolve a consensus on NCTC, a pet project of then home minister P. Chidambaram. The setting up of the NCTC is being opposed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Narendra Modi (Gujarat), J. Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu) and Naveen Patnaik (Orissa). Mr Shinde had said the NCTC would come for sure but only after every chief minister gives approval.
