Home Minister P Chidambaram told a press conference that some Chief Ministers have flagged two points. First, why the NCTC is located in the Intelligence Bureau and second, why it should be empowered with Section 43 (A) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which gives power to arrest to central sleuths.
He said the government was addressing these two issues and a paper has been sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security. The Minister exuded confidence that all chief ministers would be brought on board.
He said majority of chief ministers had supported NCTC even though some other chief ministers have expressed their reservations over the two issues saying it would infringe upon the states' powers.
"Even Naresh Chandra Committee has categorically stated that NCTC is imperative and we needed it in this country," he said.
The Centre's move ran into trouble after various non-Congress Chief Ministers including Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, Narendra Modi of Gujarat and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, an ally of UPA, opposed it.
On the Maoists issue, Chidambaram said the CPI (Maoist) leadership's grip over the cadres had loosened and "they do not enforce the kind of discipline they claim to".
"Like any other militant organisation, the CPI (Maoist) organisation is showing signs of stress and therefore all these atrocities are being committed," he said.
Chidambaram said it was "notorious" that women were being recruited as CPI Maoists cadre and exploited. The UN report showed that children had also been recruited.
