Ex-NSA hopes experience will help him in Bengal

New West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan on Sunday said the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre would be useful to all who are responsible for the safety and security of the country.

New West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan on Sunday said the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) would be useful to all who are responsible for the safety and security of the country.

Answering questions after his swearing-in here,Narayanan,who had developed differences with Home Minister P Chidambaram on the NCTC,said: There are lots of misconceptions about the NCTC. We will have to be clear on what kind of NCTC we want. Papers are being worked out on this. But we have all agreed on the need for its setting up. I am sure the combined wisdom of all will make this agency useful to all.

The former National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Prime Minister said he hoped with his background as NSA he would be able to render useful suggestion to the state government to solve the Maoist menace.

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I have long years behind as NSA and I hope I will be able to offer suggestions to solve Maoist problem, he said.

Narayanan,who replaces Gopal Krishna Gandhi as Governor,was sworn in by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice M S Shah at the Throne Room of the Raj Bhavan. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,a host of his Cabinet colleagues,top brass of the state administration,GOC,Eastern Command,Lt Gen V K Singh and members of the diplomatic corps were present.

Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly and Trinamool Congress senior leader Partha Chatterjee and Congress state working president Pradip Bhattacharya also attended the function.

The Governor said the post had come as a surprise to him.

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I am a civil servant and the offer came as a surprise to me. I am from Kerala and both Kerala and West Bengal have a lot in common, he said.

I can tell you I feel proud having been able to come here. Let me settle down and talk to the Chief Minister. It is after that that I will be able to have a clear picture about the state, he added.

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