Who is Makhanlal Sarkar? The 98-year-old BJP worker whose feet were touched by PM Modi

West Bengal witnessed the beginning of a new BJP government, marked by the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the swearing-in ceremony. While Suvendu Adhikari taking the oath as the new chief minister was the highlight of the ceremony, another moment that caught everyone’s attention was Modi seeking blessings from Makhanlal Sarkar.

Modi touches feet of Makhan Lal Sarkar

At Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, PM Modi felicitated and touched the feet of Sarkar who is 98.

Both also shared a warm hug on stage.

Who is Makhan Lal Sarkar

Makhan Lal Sarkar is one of the earliest members of the BJP. He has been associated with the party since the post-Independence era, working with top leaders.

Sarkar is best known for accompanying Syama Prasad Mookerjee. In 1952, he was arrested during the movement in an attempt to hoist the Indian flag in Kashmir.

After the formation of the BJP in 1980, Makhan Lal Sarkar served as the organisational coordinator of districts like West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. Reportedly, he enrolled almost 10,000 members into the party in a span of one year, aiding in the BJP's expansion in North Bengal.

Starting from 1981, Sarkar worked as the district president for seven years.

BJP in Bengal

The viral moment between PM Modi and Makhan Lal Sarkar took place before Suvendu Adhikari's oath as the first-ever BJP chief minister in the state. The event also saw attendance from several senior BJP leaders.

Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan also attended the ceremony in Kolkata. Other Chief Ministers, including Manik Saha (Tripura), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Rekha Gupta (Delhi), Pushkar Dhami (Uttarakhand), and more were also present.

Besides Adhikari, five other BJP leaders, Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik, also took oath as they will serve as ministers in the West Bengal cabinet.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, the new CM of Bengal told reporters, as quoted by ANI, "The ideology and political foundation on which the rise and ultimately victory of the BJP is based, is that of Syama Prasad Mookerjee...if not for Syama Prasad Mookerjee, our condition would have been the same as the minority Hindus in Bangladesh. I will propose to the cabinet and in the assembly to designate June 20, 1947, as West Bengal's Foundation Day."

The BJP secured a landslide victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, securing 207 seats and beating TMC by a big margin. It ended the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC's 15-year rule in the state.

Adhikari defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, winning the Bhabanipur Assembly seat by over 15,000 votes. He also retained the Nandigram at the same time.

"Give me some time. We have definite plans to develop places associated with many luminaries who are part of Bengal's heritage and pride," Adhikari also said after visiting the house of Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

“We need to bring back the lost glory of Bengal, which hit rock bottom under the TMC government. From culture to law and order, particularly women's safety and economic decline, Bengal lost its preeminence over the last 15 years. We have to set the record straight and bring the state back on the path of glory.”