In an emotional moment at the event, PM Modi embraced Sarkar and touched his feet as a mark of respect.Makhanlal Sarkar, a resident of Siliguri, was among the senior most BJP leaders in West Bengal during the party’s formative years and had worked closely with Syama Prasad Mukherjee.

Who is Makhanlal Sarkar?

Makhanlal Sarkar, now 98, is among the BJP’s earliest grassroots leaders in West Bengal and has long been associated with the nationalist movement in post-Independence India.In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during a movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there.After the formation of the BJP in 1980, Sarkar became the organisational coordinator for the districts of West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. Within a year, he reportedly helped enroll nearly 10,000 party members.From 1981 onward, he served continuously for seven years as district president and is considered a rare achievement at a time when BJP leaders generally did not remain in the same organisational post for more than two years.The prime minister arrived at the venue amid loud chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and waved to supporters from an open vehicle. PM Modi landed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport shortly before 10 am and later travelled by helicopter to the Race Course ground before proceeding to the Brigade Parade Grounds 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 secured 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule.