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A day after the Trinamool Congress, a key ally of the United Progressive Alliance, hinted at going alone in 2014 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, a Congress MP on Tuesday said it was impossible for the Mamata Banerjee-led party to win all 42 seats without its support in the state.
They (TMC) have the right to dream. But it is impossible to win all 42 seats in Bengal without the help of Congress," Congress MP from the state Adhir Choudhury, a known detractor of Mamata, told media persons in New Delhi.
Terming the TMC's stand as "political inconsistency", he said "earlier they said that we are with the Left that is why TMC is opposing Pranab Mukherjee's candidature in presidential elections. But later on, TMC also supported Pranab Mukherjee. This is political inconsistency."
TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhaya had on Tuesday said that the party is planning to win all 42 seats in West Bengal. "We want to see that under Mamata Banerjee's leadership 42 MPs remain in our command," Bandopadhaya had said.
Congress MP Deepa Dasmunshi, another known critic of Mamata, said that "for Congress only, they are in power at the Centre and also in Bengal. TMC would not be able to score anything without the help of Congress."
Asked to comment on TMC's decision to go it alone in panchayat elections, she said "if they want to fight alone, they can do so. We are holding a meeting on panchayat election issue on August 11 to decide our stand."
She said it was her (Mamata) decision to align with Congress for the Lok Sabha elections in 2009. "It was also her decision to tie up with Congress in 2011 to form government in Bengal."
Dasmunshi said "they can put up candidates in all 42 seats but without Congress, it seems impossible. If that happens, it will help the Left only."