I will not link my mobile number to Aadhaar: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced that she was not going to link her mobile number to Aadhaar card, a procedure made mandatory by the Centre, even if her connection was barred.

The Trinamool Congress chief has strongly opposed the central government's move saying, "This is a tactics of the Centre to interfere into people's privacy. I think, we should not provide Aadhaar number to the mobile companies."

"If we do not have a mobile connection for that, so be it. I challenge that I will not provide my Aadhaar number even if my connection is stopped. I don't care," she said during her party's extended core committee meeting here.

Terming the move a breach of people's right to privacy, the Trinamool Congress supremo said the central government was trying to intrude into people's personal life and curb their freedom.

"Aadhaar might be necessary in banks for security reasons. But they are asking for Aadhaar number for mobile phone connections as well," Banerjee said here.

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"This means even a private conversation between a husband and a wife is going to be tapped. People's right to privacy has been taken away. People have no rights under this government.

"The government has no right to get access to all our private information. What are they going to do next?" she asked.

The Department of Telecommunications in March this year directed all mobile phone service providers to re-verify existing customers, prepaid and postpaid, using their unique Aadhaar identity number and biometric details.

They have been told to complete the exercise by early next year.