BJP also asserted that since law and order is a state subject, the government should keep the states in the loop in the functioning of NCTC.
Alleging that the NCTC is not on the lines promised by the UPA government in the wake of 26/11, the BJP on Saturday demanded that a meeting of the Inter-State Council be called to discuss the matter instead of forming it through an executive order.
The opposition party also asserted that since law and order is a state subject, the government should keep the states in the loop in the functioning of NCTC.
Not doing so- as envisaged in the proposed NCTC- is a breach of the federal structure, it alleged.
"In November 2009, Home Minister P Chidambaram had said NCTC would be an over-arching body bringing better coordination, synergy and dynamism among the various agencies such as RAW, IB, NIA and NSG. Presently, as things stand the NCTC is reduced to be yet another agency under IB," BJP spokesperson Jagat Prakash Nadda said.
Seven Chief Ministers, including West Bengal's Mamta Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa, have opposed NCTC on the grounds that it is against federalism.
"In setting up NCTC without consultation, usurping what is necessarily in the states' domain, the UPA has clearly attacked the basic federal structure of our Constitution. No wonder the states are standing up against it," Nadda said.
The BJP demanded that a meeting of the Inter-State Council be called to discuss this matter immediately.
The opposition accused the UPA of playing votebank politics by arrogating powers to itself without any concern for the states.
"On the one hand, they are not facilitating state governments in their fight against terrorism. Gujarat government's GUJCOC (Bill for prevention of Organised Crime) is for years awaiting central clearance while Maharashtra has a comparable law now for years," Nadda said.
BJP alleged that the Congress-led UPA government was arrogant and had taken decisions on several critical matters with hardly any consultation with the states.
"The way in which the NCTC is being set up by an executive order without even consulting the states is now being objected to by even UPA's own allies such as the Trinamool Congress," Nadda said.
He insisted that the Teesta water agreement with Bangladesh, FDI in multi brand retail and communal violence bill are recent examples of how the central government has "bulldozed" its agenda under the garb of "right to do so".
The party alleged that NTRO, which was formed as a surveillance agency, is more in news for surveillance of political opponents.
Moreover, the UPA is running a campaign "to colour code terror rather than fighting it," the BJP said.
The main opposition also clarified that it had made its stand on NCTC clear in Parliament earlier.
"Speaking in Parliament in August 2011, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley reminded the government that the NIA has failed to live up to the expectations of the nation," Nadda said.
He maintained that the BJP strongly believes that on matters of national security and fight against terrorism there are no compromises to be made.
"The three years in which the NIA has investigated the Mumbai case for such a major conspiracy which would have involved hundreds of conspirators both within and outside, only one man stands convicted," Nadda said, quoting Jaitley's speech in Parliament.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}