Mamata nephew counters charges, says we'll get 200+

KOLKATA: Trinamool's young turk Abhishek Banerjee broke his silence on a host of issues on Wednesday , expressing confidence that his party could tide over the opposition allegations and remain on course to win 200 plus seats in Bengal. The young Banerjee hedges his bet on his party chief Mamata Banerjee for her fighting spirit.

"She never ever gives up. In 2004, Trinamool contested all Lok Sabha seats in Bengal but won only one. Only Mamata Banerjee had won her seat. Even that did not deter her. She fought her way back.Several political parties were formed after breaking away from the Congress. None of them is running a government independently now, except Trinamool," Banerjee said.

Choosing to take his attack on Surjya Kanta Mishra, Banerjee cryptically said the opposition may start searching for a new leader right away. Asked whether Trinamool is winning 200+ or less than 200 seats, he said, "The people of Bengal are most qualified to answer this question. They will decide. But since you have asked me, it is 200+."

The young MP insisted that the party's development agenda will hold it in good stead. "Now we are asking people to judge us based on the work done in the last four and a half years. Within the constraints of a huge debt burden, our work should be the yardstick for judging us. Our main plank this time is development," he said. To a question on why he avoids the media, he replied, "I am a disciplined soldier of the party . I would like actions to be my identity. Actions should speak louder than words."