‘Devout Nationalist’: PM Modi Pays Emotional Tribute To 98-Year-Old BJP Veteran Makhanlal Sarkar After Touching His Feet |
Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared an emotional tribute to veteran BJP leader Makhanlal Sarkar after personally seeking his blessings during the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal’s first-ever BJP government in Kolkata. The moment, which quickly drew national attention, saw Modi felicitating the 98-year-old party veteran with a shawl before bowing down, touching his feet, and embracing him warmly on stage at the Brigade Parade Ground ceremony.
Hours later, Modi took to X and reflected on Sarkar’s decades-long contribution to the nationalist movement and the BJP’s growth in West Bengal. “Today, as the first ever BJP Government takes oath in West Bengal, it is natural for all of us to remember Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and his everlasting contribution to the nation and West Bengal in particular,” Modi wrote.
The Prime Minister said he had the opportunity to meet Makhanlal Sarkar during the ceremony and described him as a ‘devout nationalist’ who worked closely with Syama Prasad Mukherjee.
Modi also recalled that Sarkar was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir while accompanying Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour in the state in 1952, an agitation that later became a defining chapter in Jana Sangh history. “He dedicated his life to our Party, expanding its base across West Bengal, inspiring people from all walks of life to join the Party,” Modi said in the post.
Who Is Makhanlal Sarkar?Makhanlal Sarkar is regarded as one of the oldest surviving grassroots leaders associated with the nationalist movement in Bengal. After the BJP’s formation in 1980, he played a key role in strengthening the party’s organisational structure in northern parts of the state, including West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts, at a time when the BJP had minimal political presence in Bengal.The BJP leadership gave Sarkar a prominent place on the main stage during the oath-taking ceremony, underlining his contribution to the party’s decades-long political journey in the state.
Today’s event marked a historic moment in West Bengal politics as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the state’s first BJP Chief Minister, ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule. The ceremony was attended by senior BJP leaders, Union ministers and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states.