NEW DELHI: After winning its first battle in the Lok Sabha, the UPA government secured a victory in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday on the issue of the fiercely contested National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
The amendments moved by the BJP and the Left to the President's address against the anti-counter terror unit were defeated in the Upper House. The amendments could garner only 82 votes in favour, while 105 members opposed it. The BJP staged a walkout after the vote, expressing unhappiness with the Prime Minister's reply on the issue. Trinamool Congress MPs were absent during the voting, while SP and BSP members voted in favour of the government.
On Monday, three amendment motions moved by the opposition on the anti-terror intelligence hub were defeated in the Lok Sabha.
The Trinamool Congress, a bitter critic of the NCTC but part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), lent tacit support to the government in defeating the amendments after its MPs walked out of the house and didn't participate in the voting. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MPs also walked out.
The amendments were moved by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Left and the Biju Janata Dal(BJD) after Prime Manmohan Singh told the house that the proposed anti-terror agency was crucial in "dealing with terrorism and dealing with it effectively".
