Government refuses to react to NSA shift as governor

NEW DELHI - The central government Thursday refused to react to reports that National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan was being considered for a governor’s post.

We have not heard of any such moves. Currently there is no proposal before us, said a top bureaucrat in the cabinet secretariat.

Media reports suggested that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was getting ready for a fresh round of governors’ appointments, and Narayanan figured on top of the list of Raj Bhavan prospects.

Narayanan could not be reached for comment despite several attempts.

Narayanan, who has been holding the prime post in the country’s security apparatus since 2005, could move either to West Bengal or Maharashtra, the reports said.

The Congress party also refused to respond.

We do not react to media reports. When a decision is made, it will be known to all, said Congress spokesperson Mohan Prakash.

However, home ministry sources told IANS that such a move could be related to Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s plans of setting up a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by the year-end.

This will result in a decline in the NSA’s authority.

Under Chidambaram’s scheme of things that he articulated at a meeting of Intelligence Bureau officers in December, the NCTC will be the nodal agency for counter-terrorism with analytical and operative wings.

The Joint Intelligence Committee, the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) and other related agencies will report to the NCTC head, said a ministry official.

If this happens, then the NSA, to whom the JIC, NTRO and ARC report, will lose his significance, said the official.