NEW DELHI, Feb 25:
Amid the renewed discussion on the establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) after the recent Hyderabad blasts, the BJP today said the proposed counter terrorism centre must be restricted to intelligence collection, processing and transmission and it should not be given “police powers”.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said in an article that it was the combined responsibility of the Centre and states to combat terrorism.
“Terrorism impacts the sovereignty of India. It also impinges on both public order and law and order. Under our Constitutional scheme the Defence of India is the responsibility of the Central Government.
Public order and police fall within the domain of the states. The fight against terrorism can and must co-exist with federalism. It would be meaningless to debate an imaginary federalism versus terrorism issue,” he said.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said there could be no possible objection to a National Terrorism Counter Centre but its powers and jurisdictions must be within the Constitutional framework.
He said collecting cross-border intelligence and keeping an eye on the activities of those who foment trouble from outside was exclusively within the domain and the capacity of the Centre.
“Terrorist modules have inter-state operations. Collection of national intelligence and transmitting relevant information to the states is also the responsibility of the Central Government. The Centre has already been empowered through the creation of a National Investigative Agency which investigates offences amongst other laws under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,” Mr Jailtey said.
He asked why does the Central government need to give police powers to the NCTC which would otherwise be under the domain of NIA or the state police?
The senior BJP leader said the NCTC was proposed to be set up under the Intelligence Bureau. Its’ Director will report to the Director of IB.
“Intelligence agencies should not get into police powers,” he added.
“Why should the Central government not trust the states? In the operational functions, the NCTC can always coordinate its activities with the State police. Is there any reason to doubt that the State police in India cannot be trusted for the anti-terror functions. In extraordinary cases the NIA can also be involved in such functions,” Mr Jaitley said.
He said it would be ‘dangerous’ to vest the powers of search, seizure and arrest i.e. The operational powers to an intelligence agency. The Intelligence Bureau functioning is secret. It is a non-statutory body. Its’ budget and spending has no accountability.
“Of late, the IB as an important national resource has shifted its’ focus predominantly from security related activities to political and quasi-political activities. I am strongly of the opinion that this tendency has to be curtailed.
The IB’s functions should not be political or investigative. It is an agency which must restrict itself to intelligence collection, processing and transmission. That is what the NCTC must do,” he added.
Mr Jaitley accused the Congress-led UPA government of demonstrating soft approach on terror.
He slammed the Congress government for repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). He said the POTA was an “effective instrument” for investigating and punishing the terrorists.
He said the UPA was compelled to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act wherein all but two of repealed provisions of POTA were incorporated.
After the February 21 blasts in Hyderabad, Mr Shinde has brought the NCTC issue back to the fore, saying that he would be looking into the details and talk with the states. Twin bomb blasts at a busy area in Hyderabad killed at least 16 people and injured 117 others.
(UNI)
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