Haven't caused centre-state distrust: Chidambaram

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Coming under sharp attack from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers Narendra Modi and J.Jayalalithaa, Home Minister P. Chidambaram Saturday rejected their criticism that his ministry's actions were contributing to "growing distrust" between the centre and states.

"Obviously not," Chidambaram said when queried about Jayalalithaa and Narendra Modi's attack on him at the chief ministers' meeting earlier in the day to discuss the National Counter Terrorism Centre. The two engaged in stinging criticism of the home minister, holding him the reason for the centre-state distrust and diluting federalism.

Modi told the meeting earlier in the day that a "disturbing sequence and pattern of events" in the recent past had revealed the "centralist and autocratic mindset that militates against canons of federalism".

He also cited the proposed amendments to the Border Security Force (BSF) Act, from the home ministry, as one such instance.

At an earlier meeting of the chief ministers on internal security on April 16, Modi had lambasted that certain actions of the government was contributing to the "growing distrust" between the centre and the states.

Jayalalithaa, who referred to Modi's comments at Saturday's meeting of chief ministers, said the NCTC was one such initiative that was widening this gulf even more.

She too referred to the proposed amendments to the BSF act to buttress her point.