Mamata ‘interested’ in NCTC, wants talks

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Monday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is "interested" in the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) but wants further discussion on certain clauses.

On the second day of his visit to West Bengal, Shinde met Mamata at Bakkhali and surveyed various places here.

Asked about the NCTC, Shinde said, "I have spoken to the chief minister about it. She said certain clauses in it needed to be discussed mutually. Mamata is interested in it but there are other chief ministers with whom talks are required to find a way to fight terrorism together. This is a state-central issue and every chief minister believes that the state's rights should not be encroached upon."

As his helicopter landed here at 11 am sharp, Mamata, along with Trinamool leader Mukul Roy and other officials of the Coast Guard, welcomed Shinde and took him to the site that had been earmarked for a proposed Coast Guard police station. Then they boarded a hovercraft to survey the coastal border and Jambudweep Island, a no man's land and an international ship route. In about one and a half hours they returned and had a meeting at the tourist lodge. After lunch, Shinde left for Ganga Sagar while Mamata stayed back at Bakkhali.

"Yesterday I went to the northern side and inspected the border area. Today we looked at the southern side, including areas like Jambudweep ," Shinde told reporters after the meeting. Mamata stood beside him but did not participate in the discussion.

Shinde said he had also discussed the land requirement for the BSF with the CM. "It was a fruitful discussion and I thank everyone," he said. He, however, declined to comment on the law and order situation of the state, saying he had not got any report about it.

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