Watch: PM Modi touches feet of 98-year-old Makhanlal Sarkar during swearing-in ceremony in West Bengal – who is he?

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraced 98-year-old BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar and accepted his blessings during the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari as West Bengal chief minister on Saturday.Adhikari’s oath-taking ceremony at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior NDA leaders, marked a historic breakthrough for the BJP in the state.

In an emotional moment at the event, Prime Minister Modi embraced Sarkar and touched his feet as a mark of respect.Siliguri resident Makhanlal Sarkar was one of the most senior leaders of the BJP during its formation in West Bengal and worked closely with Syama Prasad Mukherjee.

Who is Makanlal Sarkar?

Makhanlal Sarkar, 98, was one of the original West Bengal grassroots leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and has long been associated with India’s post-independence nationalist movement.In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during a movement to hoist the Indian tricolor there.After the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980, Sarkar became the organizational coordinator for Siddinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. Within a year, he reportedly helped recruit nearly 10,000 party members.He served as district president for seven consecutive years from 1981, which was considered a rare achievement at a time when PPP leaders generally did not stay in the same organizational position for more than two years.The Prime Minister arrived at the venue amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and waved to supporters from an open car. Prime Minister Modi arrived at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport around 10 am and took a helicopter to the racecourse and then to the Brigade Parade Ground by road.Thousands of BJP supporters gathered at the venue from early morning to witness the oath-taking ceremony of the party’s first government in the state after the BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member parliament, ending the Trinamool Congress party’s 15-year rule.