New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS): Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha on Monday backed party supremo Mamata Banerjee for the Prime Minister's post, though he said a final decision in this regard would rest with the INDIA bloc.

in an exclusive conversation with IANS, the actor-turned-politician and six-time Parliamentarian said that the West Bengal Chief Minister is more than capable for the PM's post as her credentials and many years of public life speak for themselves.

“If we talk about her capability, she has been the Chief Minister for multiple terms. She is a firebrand leader with firm views. She is a highly capable and efficient administrator. If she makes a firm decision on anything, no one can change her mind,” Sinha said.

He also hailed her ‘grassroots identity with mass public connect’, and said that any decision on such matters can be taken either by her or the INDIA bloc only.

Notably, the Congress-led INDIA bloc increased its tally in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, though it remained below BJP’s tally of 240. The Opposition has since been targeting the Modi government, claiming that it’s a much weaker dispensation and wont’ last a full five-year term.

While the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies largely stayed together since the Lok Sabha polls, Mamata Banerjee’s outbursts against the grand old party’s 'overreach' did hint that all was not well in the alliance.

Sinha also defended the West Bengal CM’s call for welcoming Bangladeshi refugees, saying it is in sync with the nation's principle of 'Atithi Devo Bhava'.

“Mamata Banerjee is a very popular and loved leader in India as well as in Bangladesh. She has said that if people from Bangladesh want to come to our country, we cannot say no to them as we believe in Atithi Devo Bhava (guests are god),” he said.