Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched the feet of BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar during the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal's first BJP government this Saturday [1].
The gesture marks a symbolic transition of power in Kolkata, as the BJP assumes control of the state after 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule [2].
The ceremony took place in Kolkata, where newly sworn-in Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari took office [3]. During the event, Modi sought blessings from Sarkar, who is 98 years old [4].
Sarkar is recognized as a foundational figure within the party's history in the region. He was jailed in 1952 alongside Syama Prasad Mukherjee, a key figure in the nationalist movement [5].
By honoring Sarkar, Modi highlighted the party's long-term presence and struggle in West Bengal. The act of touching the feet of an elder is a traditional mark of respect and humility in Indian culture, a gesture used here to link the current victory to the party's earliest activists [6].
The inauguration of the first BJP government in the state represents a significant political shift for West Bengal. The event served not only as a legal transfer of power but as an emotional tribute to the veterans who maintained the party's infrastructure before its recent electoral success [7].
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched the feet of BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar.”
The public honoring of Makhanlal Sarkar serves as a strategic effort by the BJP to legitimize its new administration in West Bengal by anchoring its current power in historical struggle. By connecting the new government to the 1952 imprisonment of party pioneers, the administration seeks to project a narrative of long-term persistence and ideological continuity rather than just a recent electoral surge.
