NCTC a national need, not attack on federal structure: Cong

New Delhi, Mar 1: With Government facing stiff opposition from ally Mamata Banerjee and non-UPA Chief Ministers on

, Congress today urged states to view it as "a national need" and not as an attack on federal structure "as insinuated by some".

Noting that the objective of creating the NCTC arises from the need of tackling terrorism swiftly that requires a unified command, the editorial of party's mouthpiece Congress Sandesh stressed that the move will ensure a better coordination between the Centre and the states for countering terrorism.

"The necessity of tackling the perpetrators of terror requires a unified command, which can act with swiftness and cohesiveness to tackle information, which may come to the knowledge of intelligence agencies," the editorial said. Maintaining that the NCTC is important for fighting the scourge of terrorism in the country, the editorial said, "it is therefore necessary for the states to view it as a national need and not to see it as an attack on the federal structure of the country as insinuated by some."

Lauding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's initiative to write to Chief Ministers on the issue and assure them that the concerned states would be taken into confidence and their doubts will be allayed, the party mouthpiece expressed confidence the measure will be implemented.

"The Prime Minister has said that NCTC will neither take away the powers of the states and nor it is intended to trespass on their powers...we are sure that once the spirit behind the objective is understood and the need for such an organisation appreciated, the government will have no problem in implementing this very important measure," it said.

It also said that crushing terrorism is a common concern of all right-minded citizens to ensure that terror does not stand in the way of development and progress.

PTI