Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched the feet of BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar to seek his blessings during a swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata [1].
The gesture occurred as Suvendu Adhikari took the oath as West Bengal's first BJP chief minister since Independence [2]. By honoring Sarkar, the Prime Minister symbolically connected the new state government to the party's earliest grassroots efforts in the region [1].
Sarkar, who was 98 years old at the time of the event, is recognized as one of the earliest workers for the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal [1]. The ceremony took place on May 3, 2024, marking a significant political shift in the state [1].
According to reports, the act of touching the feet of the elder worker was intended to recognize decades of service [2]. The event served as a public acknowledgement of the party's long-term organizational roots in a state where the BJP has historically struggled to hold executive power [1].
"PM Modi touched the feet of 98-year-old Makhanlal Sarkar and sought his blessings," a report from MSN India said [1]. The report said the gesture coincided with the historic appointment of Adhikari as the state's first BJP chief minister since Independence [2].
The gathering in Kolkata brought together the party's current leadership and its oldest members to celebrate the transition of power [1]. The presence of Sarkar highlighted the bridge between the party's founding era and its current electoral success in West Bengal [2].
“PM Modi touched the feet of 98-year-old Makhanlal Sarkar and sought his blessings.”
The public honoring of a 98-year-old grassroots worker during the installation of the first BJP chief minister in West Bengal's history serves as a strategic narrative tool. It frames the party's recent electoral victory not as a sudden surge, but as the culmination of decades of patient, foundational work by veterans like Sarkar, thereby legitimizing the new administration through historical continuity.
