(With inputs from agencies)

SC did not reject my petition on Aadhaar: Mamata Banerjee

NEW DELHI: Hours after the Supreme Court directed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to approach it in an individual capacity if she wishes to challenge a provision of the Aadhaar , the chief of the Trinamool Congress on Monday stressed that the apex court had "not rejected" her petition."If the court has said on the Aadhaar matter that I need to approach it individually, then I respect it. They have not rejected my petition," ANI quoted the chief minister as saying.Banerjee has expressed her opposition to a provision which said that without Aadhaar, the benefits of social welfare schemes would not be extended to individuals.The court had also pulled up the state government for challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, saying that it cannot challenge a law passed by the Union government."Individual can file petition against the Act but not a state government. Let CM Mamata Banerjee file plea as a citizen and we will hear her petition," the bench had pronounced.Following the court's direction, the West Bengal government agreed to restrict itself to the labour ministry's notification on linking of Aadhaar.At a party meeting in Kolkata on October 25, Banerjee had opposed the linking of Aadhaar with mobile phone numbers, asserting that she "will not link my Aadhaar number with my mobile even if my connection is snapped."