Modi magic has paled, says Mamata Banerjee's aide

Kolkata, Sep 16: Trinamool Congress today claimed that 'Modi magic' has gone pale in the 100 days of BJP-led NDA being in power at the Centre and asserted that people have reposed their faith in Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.

"This (Modi) magic has turned pale in India in its 100 days of being in power. People have started to express their lack of confidence in the central government given its performance in the first 100 days," Trinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roy told newspersons here.

"This bye-election has proved that there is no place for any communal force in Bengal," Roy asserted. "People have reposed their faith again in Mamata Banerjee - this bye-election has proved that people's support has remained intact for Banerjee," he said after TMC retained the prestigious Chowringhee Assembly seat while an official announcement of results in Basirhat South seat was awaited.

"CPI-M has become irrelevant, similarly Congress has also become irrelevant in the state," he claimed adding "Mamata Banerjee is the only leader who is the symbol of honesty in the country."

Asked whether the Saradha scam and investigations have adversely affected the TMC, Roy said that whenever elections are around in the state, be it 2013 panchayat polls, 2014 Lok Sabha elections or this bypolls, 'malicious campaigning' by the opposition and a section of the media involving Saradha start taking place. "This is motivated".

"Despite this, people have repeatedly shown that they don't believe these and have reposed their faith in Mamata Banerjee," he stated. "If one has to name honest leaders in the country, then Mamata Banerjee's name has to appear among the first three," Roy asserted.

Asked whether he thought the ruling BJP was using CBI as a tool and would again use it in 2016, Roy said "Central government is using all its agencies to defeat Trinamool Congress in Bengal, they are trying to malign the government. But people have voted against them."

PTI