And the fisticuffs begin... Shortly after he took oath as a Union Minister of State, Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury today fired a salvo at Mamata Banerjee, challenging her to bring a no-confidence motion against the central government.

"The winter session of Parliament is commencing from November 22. I will tell Mamata Banerjee that If she has guts, let her party bring a no-confidence motion in the House and see which party stands here. Congress is not afraid to face the election," Chowdhury said.

With no love lost between him and Mamata, Chowdhury, who is MoS Railways, quoting the Prime Minister said that elections would be held in due course as the mandate of the people was that UPA should complete its full five-year term.

Chowdhury, who singled out Mamata for criticism as a former Railway minister, said, "It will take a number of railway budgets to implement the series of announcements made by her during her tenure in the Railway ministry. "Everything was on paper. She has announced projects without making adequate monetary provisions. She was a failure as a railway minister," Chowdhury claimed.