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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said setting up of institutions such as National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) with the proposed powers of arrest and seizure upsets the federal structure of the country. "It is unfortunate that in utter disregard to these federal principles, the NCTC was set up by an executive order dated 3 February 2012 of the Union home ministry without adequate consultations with the states," Banerjee said. "These kind of unilateral steps of the Union government in matters which fall within the jurisdictions of the states only increases the trust-deficit between the Centre and states," she added. Banerjee is among the front-runners to oppose the anti-terror agency despite being a ruling partner of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The chief ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states have also opposed the NCTC. The main task of the NCTC would be to ensure that a wide variety of security organizations in the country work in tandem, at least on issues related to terrorism. It will also have the power to seek information, including documents, reports, transcripts, and cyber information from any agency, including from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency, National Technical Research Organization, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and all seven central armed police forces including the National Security Guard (NSG). The body, which will function under the Intelligence Bureau, would be given its own operational wing with powers to arrest and conduct searches under Section 43A of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Mamata Banerjee finds NCTC unacceptable