TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha’s praise for NDA’s Bihar victory and Nitish Kumar raises eyebrows in Bengal’s ruling party
The ex-BJP MP tagged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders of the INDIA alliance in a post that congratulated ‘the most admired, gentleman politician’
With the BJP-led NDA securing victory in the Bihar elections and West Bengal preparing for the 2026 Assembly polls, TMC MP and veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha’s praise for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has raised eyebrows within the Trinamool Congress.
Sinha tweeted, “Congratulations! To the people of our Bihar for getting the government they deserve, voted for & the leadership of the most admired, gentleman politician, Nitesh Kumar for being Bihar’s longest-serving, trusted, tried, tested & successful CM. 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!”
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. He seems to have lived upto people’s… pic.twitter.com/DgbNFzfIRA
The MP also tagged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and leaders from other parties in the INDIA alliance.
Speaking to the media, TMC MP Saugata Roy said, “I have no comments in this regard, but I do not agree to such things is all I will say.”
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty told The Indian Express, “This is his personal comment and not a reflection of the party as a whole. But he is an eminent personality belonging from a different sector, so he might have made this comment from that perspective. He is from Bihar and he did play a crucial role in Bihar politics.”
Chakraborty added, “He (Sinha) should realise that he is also an MP from TMC, so every elected representative should keep in mind that their statement should not hurt the sentiments of the cadres. Also, their statement should not embarrass the party leaders. It would be nice to keep in mind that statements which may embarrass the party should be avoided, but since he comes from a different sector, the final call will be taken by the party supremo.”
BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar told The Indian Express, “We have nothing to say. TMC should see who they have given tickets to. In Bihar, the NDA led by BJP has won, and their MP is congratulating them. He, being from Bihar, understands that if BJP stays in Bihar it is good for that state; similarly, if BJP comes to Bengal, it will be good for the people of this state.”
Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari told reporters,“It is the owners of Trinamool Congress who would better explain why Shatrughan Sinha is praising a BJP-associated Chief Minister.”
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According to TMC party sources, the top leadership took note of Sinha’s remarks on Sunday and sought an explanation from him. Sources added that TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has been apprised of the matter.
On November 6, Sinha was conferred the “Bangabibhusan” award by the Bengal government at the 6th Kolkata International Film Festival.
Before winning the Lok Sabha seat on a TMC ticket in 2022, Sinha had a long political journey across parties. He was with the BJP, serving as a Rajya Sabha MP between 1996 and 2008, during which he was a Union Minister under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He won the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket in 2009, later joined the Congress, and eventually moved to the TMC.
This is not the first time Sinha’s remarks have been at odds with the Trinamool Congress. Despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s instructions about respecting personal food choices and cultural practices, Sinha has expressed reservations about non-vegetarian food. In February, he made 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. At the time, the party leadership had cautioned him, and Sinha had claimed his comments were misinterpreted.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
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