Opposition parties on Tuesday kicked up another row on the Centre's decision to set up an anti-terror body, asking a Parliamentary committee to recommend that it be put on hold.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, plans to write to Chief Ministers on the issue, sources said.
The opposition to setting up of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a brainchild of the Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, came at a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, on a day when a Congress ally, National Conference (NC), appeared to express its reservations over the move.
Under attack from non-Congress Chief Ministers and West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, who have written to him, the Prime Minister is planning to write to them explaining the Centre's proposal.
The Home Ministry is believed to have given its inputs to the Prime Minister who will have a meeting with Ms Banerjee here on Wednesday. The NCTC issue is likely to come up in the meeting.
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and NC leader, Mr Omar Abdullah, also appeared to be having reservations.
“There has been no discussion between the State government and the Central government on the issue of NCTC. I do not think it would be appropriate as Chief Minister for me to publicly comment on it before I privately share the feelings of the State government with the Union government on this crucial issue,” Mr Abdullah told reporters near Srinagar.
The government is likely to convene a meeting of Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of all States to explain about NCTC before March 1, when the body is expected to come into existence.
At the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee, members of non-Congress parties grilled the Union Home Secretary, Mr R.K. Singh, on setting up of the NCTC.
They asked him how the Centre could decide unilaterally on setting up the counter-terrorism body without consulting the States.
Sources said the Opposition members told the Committee chairman and BJP leader, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu, that he should recommend to the Home Ministry that the proposal be put on hold.
Members of BJP, BJD, AIADMK and Left parties were of the opinion that the NCTC “impinges” on the powers of States and would affect the federal structure.