New Delhi, Jan 6 : The NDA Chief Ministers tonight discussed ways to surmount terrorism and provide a terror-free atmosphere in the country at a priliminary meeting ahead of the Chief Ministers'' meeting convened by Home Minister P Chidambaram tomorrow.

At the meeting held at the residence of Leader of Opposition L K Advani, the Chief Ministers felt that the laws passed by the UPA Government providing for the constitution of National Investigation Agency was not just delayed but also deficient.

The NDA Chief Ministers will suggest the ways of strengthening the law keeping the federal structure in view and without taking away the rights of the states in dealing with terror-related crims, BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley told newspersons after the one and a half hour meeting.

The meeting especially discussed the Mumbai attacks and recent Assam serial blasts which had roots originating from across the borders and the feeling in the meeting was that the UPA had 'totally failed' in dealing with terrorist incidents be it November 26 attacks on Mumbai or Assam blasts or attack on the security forces in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.

The UPA could have come up with an anti-terror law and the law providing for constituting the National Investigation Agency in its first four and half months in office and not after four and half years. Whatever steps were taken by the Government turned out to be mere 'eye wash', Mr Jaitley said.

Those who attended the meeting included NDA Convenor George Fernandes, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Chief Ministers and Home Ministers of BJP-ruled states -- Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh), Maj Gen B C Khanduri (Uttarakhand), B S Yeddyurappa (Karnataka), Raman Singh (Chhatisgarh), P K Dhumal (Himachal Pradesh). Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik could not attend the meeting as he remained airborne because of foggy conditions while Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal too could not make it after he fractured his fingers while getting into the car at Chandigarh, BJP sources said.