Cong bats for NCTC as Centre bows to Mamata's demand

Even as the Centre bowed once again to pressure from Trinamool, Congress on Tuesday strongly batted for the "well intentioned proposal" of National Counterterrorism Center and cautioned its critics that "opposition for the sake of opposition" is not good for the progress of the nation.

"The paradigm of good governance is that nation comes above everything.... The creation of NCTC which has been opposed by several states as being against Federalism is the need of the moment," the party said in the latest issue of its mouthpiece "Congress Sandesh".

In an editorial piece, it said that once the prime minister has said that the government has no intention of treading on the rights of the state governments and assure them that their interests would be guaranteed through a dialogue, "there should have been no resistence".

In an obvious dig at the Navin Patnaik government in Odisha which is grappling with the situation arising out of the abduction of an Italian as also a BJD MLA by Maoists, it said that the "double speak" of some parties opposed to NCTC is exposed by their current demands while dealing with a recent happening.

Patnaik, who heads the BJD, had taken the lead in mobilising opposition ruled states on the NCTC issue.

"All parties should come together keeping in mind and support the well intentioned proposed of the government", it said.

The Congress views came on a day when the government agreed to discuss the National Counter Terrorism Centre issue separately with chief ministers in Delhi on May 5 as demanded by Mamata Banerjee.