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Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would convene an all-party meeting on the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance before the winter session of Parliament commences on Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya said.
Bhattacharya -- who was attending a meeting of chief ministers in New Delhi -- said the prime minister gave the assurance after Congress chief ministers insisted that there should be a discussion at the political level on the issue.
Opposing POTO, Bhattacharya said since law and order was a state subject, the Centre should not promulgate such ordinances.
He also opposed the Centre's idea of setting up a federal agency to deal with terrorism saying India was a federal country and there was no need for a central security agency. He added that the Central Bureau of Investigation was competent to do the job.
Asked whether the states were equipped to tackle terrorism, he said the menace had to be fought jointly by the Centre and states.
Asked about Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani's statement that extraordinary situations called for extraordinary laws, Bhattacharya agreed, but said the Constitution was clear that the states had to tackle such situations.
PTI
ALSO SEE The Complete Coverage: The Anti-terror Ordinance
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