Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Saturday said he will be meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah "to know his thoughts about" the extension of BSF's (Border Security Force) operational jurisdiction.
"I will be meeting Home Minister Amit Shah to know his thoughts about it," news agency ANI quoted the former Union Minister as saying.
For the unversed, the Centre has amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of the existing 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
In Gujarat, that shares border with Pakistan, the same limit has been reduced from 80 km to 50 km while in Rajasthan the limit has been kept unchanged at 50 km.
In five northeastern states-- Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya--the jurisdiction has been cut short by 20 kms. Earlier, it was up to 80 kms.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties slammed the Centre over the move.
Punjab Minister Charanjit Singh Channi took strong exception it. "I strongly condemn the GoI's unilateral decision to give additional powers to BSF within 50 KM belt running along the international borders, which is a direct attack on the federalism. I urge the Union Home Minister @AmitShah to immediately rollback this irrational decision," Channi tweeted.
The Trinamool Congress said it was an "infringement" on the rights of the state and an attack on the federal structure of the country. "We oppose this decision. This is an infringement on the rights of the state. What was the sudden need to enhance the BSF's jurisdiction without informing the state government?" TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. "If the BSF has to conduct any search, they can always do it along with the state police. This has been the practice for years. It is an attack on the federal structure," he added.
RJD's Manoj Jha said that it is not in the "spirit of cooperative federalism" and is an "encroachment upon state's rights".
