No united front against Congress on the issue of NCTC

All the Chief Ministers of opposition-ruled states and one UPA Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee of West Bengal have openly opposed Centre’s move to formulate a new law National Counter- Terrorism Control to fight terrorism. They have described NCTC as an attempt to usurp the power of the state by violating the concept of federalism.
CM Bannerjee has already met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and apprised him of her opposition. The opposition chorus against NCTC getting shriller and shriller.
In view of the instant opposition to NCTC, Dr. Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government appears to be ready for climbing from its stand on the issue in question. Though terrorism is the most serious issue that the entire country has been facing for the last several years, there are enough laws already in place to fight it out. Terrorism can also be fought successfully by sharing responsibility. It is an issue of shared responsibility.
The need of the hour is apply those laws properly, sincerely and timely to contain terrorism.
It is also correct that a number of our innocent lives have lost in the last 22 year. It is in 1990 that terrorism was at its height. The exodus of Pandit community from the state of Jammu and Kashmir took place in that year also due to the rise in terrorism. They left their place of birth in fear and shock. They still dare not go back their homeland because there is no guarantee that the reprisal against them will not take place again.
All political parties showed crocodile tears and did nothing to assuage the hurt feeling of Kashmiri Pandits. They had been left helpless and haggard. There is also no guarantee that NCTC would help fight terrorism. But as it undermines power of the state, some chief ministers have come out in open to oppose it. They oppose it because it infringes upon their power.
Their opposition does not mean that they are going to form a united political front against the Congress Party. Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee is an important ally of Congress Party in UPA. Both are natural allies. To fight against the Left parties in West Bengal, it is her necessity to seek Congress support in the state even if she does not need it to run the state government. She can not share political platform with BJP to keep the Left away in West Bengal. To get secular votes in large scale, it is also her political compulsion not to break alliance with the Congress. Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnayak has also opposed NCTC but it does not mean that he would be a part of political front against Congress of which BJP would be the leader. Patnayak has built an independent secular image of his political outfit BJD. He would not like to loose it. One thing also be kept in mind that both Mamta Bannerjee and Navin Patnayak have felt the political experience of aligning with the BJP. They oppose NCTC because they think that it is an attempt of the Centre in the name of fighting terrorism to usurp their powers.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jaylalitha has also opposed NCTC for the same reason of the violation of federalism. She is the only CM who could be a potential ally of the BJP-led Front if ever formed in the wake of opposition to NCTC by all BJP Chief Ministers in the country. The last incumbent in opposition bandwagon of NCTC is Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal. He has also opposed NCTC and he is a BJP ally. So, his opposition is natural. Centre must review NCTC and protect federalism in letter and spirit.