Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took the blessings of veteran BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the most senior workers of the BJP in West Bengal, during a public event in the state.
At 98, Makhanlal
Sarkar is regarded as one of the early grassroots figures associated with the nationalist movement in post-Independence India. In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there.
#WATCH | Kolkata | PM Modi felicitates and takes blessings of Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the most senior workers of the BJP in West Bengal.
In 1952, Makhanlal Sarkar was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian… pic.twitter.com/gpmLISKYZ5
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026
Following the formation of the BJP in 1980, Sarkar was appointed organisational coordinator for the West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. Within a year, he reportedly helped enrol nearly 10,000 members into the party.
From 1981 onwards, he served continuously for seven years as district president, considered a rare feat at a time when BJP leaders generally did not remain in the same organisational role for more than two years.
West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said Makhanlal Sarkar was once arrested by Delhi Police during the Congress regime for singing a nationalist song.
Bhattacharya said Sarkar refused to apologise in court and instead sang the same song before the judge. “He refused to apologise in Court. He sang the same song in the Court and the judge asked to get him a first class ticket back home and 100 rupees for his journey,” he said.
