Kolkata, May 9: Close aide of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and senior-most Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Makhanlal Sarkar, a resident of Siliguri, was present at the BJP’s oath ceremony on Saturday at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground.
PM Modi touches Sarkar’s feet during ceremony
Notably, after the felicitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen touching the feet of the 98-year-old Sarkar.
Sarkar associated with Jana Sangh movement
In the early years after Independence, Sarkar was actively involved in political movements linked to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
Sarkar was the first BJP district president of the Siliguri organisational district in North Bengal and was a companion of Mookerjee during his historic Kashmir tour.
Arrested during Kashmir movement
In 1952, Sarkar was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Mookerjee during the movement for hoisting the Indian tricolour there.
After the saffron camp was formed in 1980, Sarkar was made the coordinator of West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts and, within just one year, he had enrolled nearly 10,000 members.
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Detained for singing patriotic song
When Congress had formed the Central government, Delhi Police had arrested Sarkar for singing a patriotic song there.
When he was produced before the court, the judge wanted to listen to the song, and after hearing it, asked the police to arrange a first-class ticket for Sarkar to return home.
