On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met veteran BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar during the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari as the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal.
After arriving in Kolkata for the ceremony, PM Modi travelled through Brigade Parade Ground in an open jeep alongside Chief Minister-designate Adhikari and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya.
The leaders greeted thousands of BJP supporters at the venue. The venue featured saffron decorations, while artists performed with traditional drums.
Following the roadshow-like reception, the Prime Minister moved to the main stage and interacted with senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states.
During the event, PM Modi honoured Makhanlal Sarkar with a shawl and sought his blessings.
Sarkar, now 98, remains one of the BJP’s earliest grassroots figures in West Bengal. He also maintained links with nationalist political movements in the years following Independence.
In 1952, Makhanlal Sarkar was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee during a movement connected to hoisting the Indian national flag there.
After the BJP formed in 1980, Sarkar worked as organisational coordinator for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling districts, helping expand the party’s membership base. He later served for seven consecutive years as district president beginning in 1981.
Earlier on Friday, Shah formally announced Adhikari as the BJP Legislative Party leader, after which he met Governor RN Ravi to stake a claim to form the new government.
Also Read: Suvendu Adhikari Calls BJP Swearing-In A ‘Historic Dawn’ For West Bengal
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