Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari as the BJP’s first-ever Chief Minister of West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday felicitated veteran BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar and sought his blessings. The grand gesture caught everyone's eye as the Prime Minister touched his feet, offered him a shawl and was seen having a heartful chat on the stage.
The gesture came during the BJP’s celebrations marking its historic victory in West Bengal, where the party formed the government in the state for the first time.
Who is Makhanlal Sarkar?
Makhanlal Sarkar is regarded as one of the seniormost BJP workers in West Bengal and is closely associated with the nationalist movement in post Independence India.
In 1952, Sarkar was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian national flag in the region. He lives in the Siliguri district of the state.
Despite being 98 years old, Sarkar continues to remain a respected grassroots figure within the nationalist movement and among BJP workers in West Bengal.
Prime Minister Modi’s interaction with the veteran leader was seen as a symbolic tribute to the party’s ideological roots and long-standing workers who played a role in shaping the nationalist movement in the country.
Suvendu Adhikari becomes BJP's first-ever West Bengal CM
History was created at Kolkata's Brigade Parada Grounds on Saturday as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the West Bengal Chief Minister, becoming BJP's first-ever leader to do so after the saffron party swept the assembly elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and NDA chief ministers from 20 states were present at the ceremony.
Agnimitra Paul, Dilip Ghosh, Nisith Parmanik, Kshudiram Tudu, Ashok Kirtania also took oath as Bengal ministers along with Suvendu Adhikari.
