NCTC issue: Nothing should be done that would infringe the country's federal structure, says Farooq Abdullah

JAMMU: With Chief Ministers of non-Congress ruled states raising a banner of revolt against the Centre's proposal to set up an apex counter-terror organisation, the National Conference today said nothing should be done that would infringe on the country's federal structure.

"In that (matters related to security of the country) nothing should be done which will infringe on the federal structure," NC President and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah told reporters here.

He was replying to a volley of questions on the Centre's move to create a National Counter-Terrorism Centre ( NCTC) and his party's stand on the matter.

"I think the Union Home Minister has to explain his position (on NCTC) to the Chief Ministers. Let us wait till this happens," said the chief of the NC, a partner in the UPA government at the Centre.

"Let me be very frank. This is a federal strucutre. In a federal structure, the Central government and the states have certain priorities relating to certain laws," he said.

However, Abdullah, whose NC is a dominant partner in the Jammu and Kashmir government, said "the Centre and the states must cooperate particuarly in matters related to security of the country."

Several Chief Ministers of non-Congress ruled states have steadfastly opposed the Centre's plan to create NCTC saying such a move would violate the federal provisions of the Constitution and was intended to usurp rights of the states.

The Union government had rejected all criticism and expressed its determination to go ahead with setting up of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, a brain-child of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.