Bodhgaya blasts may push Nitish Kumar to soften stand on NCTC

NEW DELHI: The multiple blasts in Bodhgaya, the first major terror attack at the pilgrimage spot and the rest of Bihar, may push Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to soften his stand in his opposition to set up anti-terror hub NCTC.

Home Ministry officials believe that the terror attack on the Mahabodh temple in Bodhgaya may force the Chief Minister to soften his stand as he has to re-look the activities of terrorist groups in Bihar for safety of the state.

"The delay in setting up of NCTC will continue to hamper the government's anti-terror initiatives. The sooner those oppose it realise its importance, the better for the country," an official said.

Kumar has been a strong opponent of the controversial National Counter Terrorism Centre saying the proposed body will hurt country's federal structure if it carries out unilateral operations against terrorists and kept under the ambit of Intelligence Bureau.

However, despite Centre's clarification that operations by NCTC would be carried only after taking the state into confidence and removal of the body from the ambit of IB failed to garner the Bihar Chief Minister's support.

A few days before the Chief Ministers' conference on internal security held on June 5, Kumar dashed off a letter to the Centre strongly opposing the NCTC.

At the conference, Kumar EVEN said the revised draft order on NCTC suffered from several "serious flaws" and "arbitrary" provisions.