&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "WATCH: PM Modi touches feet of Makhan Lal Sarkar in West Bengal. Who is the 97-year-old veteran BJP leader?")
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (May 9) touched the feet of 97-year-old BJP veteran Makhan Lal Sarkar during the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata, in a gesture that drew attention to the veteran leader’s long association with the party and the nationalist movement. The Prime Minister was seen hugging Sarkar and seeking his blessings at the event. According to Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya, Sarkar was among the seniormost leaders associated with the BJP during its formative years in West Bengal.
Bhattacharya said Sarkar had worked closely with Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological predecessor of the BJP. He said Sarkar had accompanied Mookerjee during his final journey to Kashmir before the latter died in custody in 1953.
“Mookerjee was killed in a mysterious way in a Kashmir jail. Sarkar, who was part of his last journey, has graced us with his presence today,” Bhattacharya said.
Arrested for singing ‘patriotic song’ in the Congress era
The Bengal BJP chief also recalled an incident from Sarkar’s younger days when he was allegedly arrested by Delhi Police for singing a patriotic song during the Congress era. According to Bhattacharya, Sarkar refused to apologise in court, insisting that he had committed no offence.
“He told the judge he had only sung a song. The judge then asked him to sing it again in court. After hearing it, the judge directed the police to arrange a first-class ticket for Sarkar to return home and also give him Rs 100 for the journey,” Bhattacharya claimed.
Sarkar is regarded as one of the BJP’s earliest organisational leaders in north Bengal.
The journey
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He served as the first BJP district president of the Siliguri organisational district and was part of Mookerjee’s historic Kashmir movement in 1952, during which he was arrested while accompanying the Jana Sangh founder in the campaign to hoist the Indian tricolour in the region.
After the BJP was formed in 1980, Sarkar became the organisational coordinator for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. Party leaders said he helped enrol nearly 10,000 members within a year.
