Actor-turned-politician and Trinamool MP Shatrughan Sinha triggered unease within his party on Saturday after congratulating Nitish Kumar on social media and applauding the people of Bihar for giving the NDA another term.

The post, unusual for a senior MP of a party that positions itself as one of the BJP’s strongest critics, immediately drew Trinamool’s attention.

Party insiders said on Sunday that the top leadership took note of Sinha’s remarks and sought an explanation from him.

Party sources said Trinamool’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Abhishek Banerjee, was apprised of the matter. Several Trinamool MPs have privately said that the party’s parliamentary wing should take immediate disciplinary action against the Asansol MP.

Sinha’s post has revived speculation about his political intentions, given his long association with the BJP before he joined the Congress and eventually shifted to the Trinamool Congress.

Several Trinamool leaders, speaking off the record, said the Asansol MP had “shown his true colours” at a time when the party has been repeatedly accusing the BJP of robbing voter rights through the SIR ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

On Saturday, Sinha wrote on X: “Congratulations! To the people of our Bihar for getting the Govt they deserve, voted for & the leadership of the most admired, gentleman politician, @NiteshKumar for being Bihar’s longest-serving, trusted, tried, tested & successful CM.”

Referring to Nitish, Sinha added: “He seems to have lived up to people’s expectations. Kudos to all the people/ parties around him. God Bless & congratulations to all. Jai Bihar! Jai Hind!”

Sinha also tagged Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, as well as INDIA bloc leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

The timing of his praise also raised eyebrows within Trinamool. Barely days earlier, on November 6, Sinha had been conferred with the “Bangabibhusan” award by the Bengal government at the 6th Kolkata International Film Festival.

Sinha’s history adds to the tension. Before joining Trinamool, he won the Lok Sabha three times on a BJP ticket and served as a Union minister. His earlier stints in the Congress and later in the Trinamool were seen as part of a larger shift away from the BJP, but his periodic public remarks have repeatedly embarrassed his new party.

Trinamool leaders pointed out that this is not the first time the “Bihari Babu” has stirred controversy. Despite Mamata Banerjee’s clear instructions about respecting personal food choices and cultural practices, Sinha has frequently aired reservations about non-vegetarian food. In February, he made contentious comments criticising the consumption of non-vegetarian dishes, praised the Uttarakhand government’s Uniform Civil Code, and called for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter and non-vegetarian food. The party leadership had cautioned him then, and Sinha claimed his comments had been misinterpreted.

This time, however, many Trinamool leaders appeared visibly displeased by Sinha’s comments.

Bengal industries minister Shashi Panja said: “It is Shatrughan Sinha’s personal opinion, which the party does not endorse. Trinamool Congress will make no compromise in favour of the BJP. The perspective of Bihar is different from Bengal.”

The party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Satabdi Roy, said: “He may have made this statement personally out of concern for Bihar and Bihari dignity. But it did not show any political intelligence.”

The BJP, unsurprisingly, seized the moment. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said Bengal’s ruling party should explain the situation instead of attempting to downplay it.

“It is the owners of Trinamool Congress who would say better why Shatrughan Sinha is praising a BJP’s associate chief minister,” Adhikari remarked, sharpening the political jab at a time when Trinamool is striving to preserve unity ahead of the 2026 state polls.