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With the fate of Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance remaining uncertain, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday told a conference of chief ministers that he would initiate talks with the opposition on the issue.
The CMs' meeting, however, failed to arrive at a consensus on the anti-terrorism ordinance, with a majority of CMs belonging to opposition parties maintaining that some provisions of POTO were "too harsh" and could be misused.
Briefing reporters after the day-long conference, Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani said there was no consensus on prime minister's suggestion for establishing a federal agency to pursue and combat terrorism across the country.
"Most chief ministers were in favour of an anti-terrorism law. Some chief ministers, while accepting the need for an anti-terrorism legislation, felt that the Centre should have consulted all parties before introducing POTO," Advani said.
Advani said the government indicated its readiness for discussions with opposition parties and its "willingness to accept any suggestion to make our battle against terrorism more effective."
About a dozen Congress-ruled states, the Left-ruled West Bengal and Bihar have opposed POTO.
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have supported the proposed legislation.
PTI
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