Bhubaneswar: It's not exactly a good Friday for the Congress. In Mumbai, it's performance in the local elections has been below average. And on the national landscape, it's staring at another huge confrontation with state governments that are run by opposition parties, and its Frenemy No. 1, Mamata Banerjee.Five chief ministers including Ms Banerjee are objecting fiercely to the new National Counter Terrorism Centre. They say the centre's blueprint violates the principles of federalism by encroaching upon state government turf. Those on the same side as Ms Banerjee include Bihar's Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu's J Jayalalithaa, Odisha's Navin Patnaik. From Gujarat, Narendra Modi will write to the Prime Minister today, expressing the same concerns. "Any self-respecting chief minister would oppose this," said Mr Patnaik.
Ms Banerjee shared the stage with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at function in Bengal today. As his party's trouble-shooter-in-chief, Mr Mukherjee may well have a new assignment. In a letter dated February 14, Ms Banerjee has asked the Prime Minister to "review and withdraw" the order that sanctions the new anti-terror agency.
She wrote, "It is difficult for the state government to accept such arbitrary exercise of power by the central agency, which have a bearing on the rights and privilege of the states as enshrined in the Constitution."
The Home Ministry's response today was not placatory. "We are not passing any new law," said Home Secretary RK Singh. There was no need consult the states prior to notifying the National Counter Terrorism Centre. It has been formed for better coordination among agencies to fight terror better. "
The Counter Terrorism Centre, which will become functional on March 1, will have the power to swoop into any state, arrest suspects and fly them out of the state; it will not be obliged to consult the local government. Law and order is a state subject in India. The new agency will keep state police in the loop but need not seek permission from state governments before launching any operation.
Of the group of five chief ministers that interpret the new body as a violation of the rights of states, it is Ms Banerjee's criticism that no doubt rankles the most. She is a senior ally of the coalition at the centre; that hasn't stopped her from siding often with opposition parties, in Parliament and outside, on some of the government's biggest new policies. Her anger over attempts to introduce reforms in the retail sector forced the government into a humiliating retreat days after announcing its new guidelines.
It's not just her opposition but the company that she is keeping that has the Congress in knots. Ms Banerjee has met recently with the BJP- both sides described it as a courtesy call, but there is talk of a political flirtation. Mr Patnaik heads the Biju Janata Dal, which is part of the BJP-led NDA; Ms Jayalalithaa and the BJP have been expressing support for each other, most visibly with delegates from both parties attending functions organised by her and Mr Modi in their home states; Mr Nitish Kumar is a leader of the JD (U), which is again a part of the NDA.
So speculation is surging about whether Ms Banerjee is using the campaign against the Counter Terrorism Centre to test-run a wider partnership.
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