PM Modi Touches Feet Of BJP Veteran Makhanlal Sarkar At Bengal Oath Ceremony

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared an emotional moment with 98-year-old BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar during the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal’s new government led by Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Prime Minister was seen touching Sarkar’s feet and seeking his blessings ahead of the oath-taking event at Brigade Parade Ground. 

Makhanlal Sarkar is regarded as one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s oldest grassroots workers in West Bengal and has remained associated with nationalist politics for decades. Reports stated that Sarkar had accompanied Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the 1952 movement in Kashmir related to hoisting the Indian tricolour. During that period, Sarkar was also reportedly arrested alongside Mukherjee. 

The gesture by Prime Minister Modi quickly gained attention online, with several videos and photographs from the ceremony circulating widely across social media platforms. Many BJP leaders and supporters described the moment as a mark of respect towards senior party workers who contributed to the organisation’s expansion in West Bengal over the decades. 

The swearing-in ceremony itself was historic as Suvendu Adhikari became the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal after the party secured a major victory in the Assembly elections. Several senior BJP leaders, Union ministers and Chief Ministers from NDA-ruled states attended the event in Kolkata. 

According to reports, Prime Minister Modi also interacted with families of slain BJP workers after the ceremony and paid tribute to party veterans present at the venue. The event was held under tight security arrangements, with large crowds gathering at Brigade Parade Ground to witness the political transition in the state. 

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