Before Suvendu Adhikari's oath-taking ceremony as West Bengal's first BJP Chief Minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paused for a deeply personal moment. He bent down to seek the blessings of Makhanlal Sarkar — a 98-year-old man whose life is a living testament of undying nationalism.

Sarkar, one of BJP's earliest workers in West Bengal, was arrested in Kashmir in 1952 alongside Syama Prasad Mukherjee while demanding the right to hoist the Indian tricolour. Here's a look at who Makhanlal Sarkar is and why his presence mattered so much on this historic day.

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Who is Makhanlal Sarkar? 

Widely regarded as one of the BJP's oldest grassroots leaders in Bengal, he is around 97-98 years old. He is considered one of the key figures of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the early nationalist movement.

Makhanlal Sarkar has worked for the party during its early expansion phase in West Bengal. In 1952, Sarkar was arrested during the Kashmir movement when he went there with Shyama Prasad Mookerjee to hoist the Indian tricolour.

West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said that Makhanlal Sarkar was once arrested by the Delhi Police for singing a nationalist song. 

“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," Bhattacharya added.

When the BJP was formed in 1980, he was given the organisational responsibility for the West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling districts of the state. He worked tirelessly to expand the organisation's footprint to every village in a short time.

Within a year, Sarkar added nearly 10,000 new members to the BJP. He also has the distinction of serving as the district president for 7 straight years from 1981 to 1988, at a time when no leader in the party held the same organisational position for over 2 years. 

At present, Sarkar is known for remaining active in organisational work despite his advanced age. He is also known as someone who always prioritised organisational work without any high-profile position or publicity. 

Published on: May 9, 2026 12:26 PM IST