Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, a strong votary of Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), vehemently opposed the Centre's recent decision to promulgate an ordinance giving more teeth to the POTA Review Committee on the plea that it would "set to naught the very purpose for which the POTA was legislated".

In a statement, she said the decision would also "nullify the efforts taken by progressive state governments like Tamil Nadu in putting down terrorist and subversive elements trying to disrupt peace and tranquility".

Jayalalithaa said she supported the Centre's decision to enact POTA as "it has become imperative to review and strengthen the existing measures for the maintenance of internal security".

She said "responsible state governments like Tamil Nadu have utilised the provisions of POTA with great circumspection to put down the activities of terrorist groups and individuals encouraging and abetting such terrorist groups as envisaged in the Act".

Since the state government had set up its own POTA Review Committee, the decision of the Centre would amount to negating and thwarting the powers of the state government in maintaining law and order, she said.

Obviously under pressure from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents of Tamil Nadu like Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Union Cabinet last week decided to promulgate an ordinance making the POTA Review Committee's decisions binding on the state governments.

PTI