Before Suvendu Adhikari's oath-taking ceremony in Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared an emotional moment with 98-year-old BJP veteran Makhan Lal Sarkar. As Sarkar greeted him at the venue, Modi touched his feet and embraced him, drawing loud cheers from party workers and supporters gathered at Brigade Parade Ground. The Prime Minister was also seen receiving blessings from the veteran leader on stage before the ceremony formally began.
Makhan Lal Sarkar is regarded as one of the earliest grassroots figures linked to the nationalist movement in post-Independence India. In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mookerjee during a movement aimed at hoisting the Indian tricolour in the region. His long political journey later continued with the BJP after the party’s formation in 1980, when he played an important organisational role across several districts of West Bengal, including West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.
Following the formation of the BJP, Sarkar became the organisational coordinator for multiple districts and reportedly helped enrol nearly 10,000 party members within a year. From 1981 onward, he served continuously for 7 years as district president, a rare feat within the party structure at the time. His presence at the swearing-in ceremony was viewed by many BJP leaders and workers as symbolic of the party’s long ideological and organisational struggle in West Bengal before eventually coming to power in the state.
Prime Minister Modi arrived at Brigade Parade Ground to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP’s first-ever government in West Bengal after the party secured a landslide victory in the Assembly elections. Accompanied by state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and Suvendu Adhikari, Modi received a massive welcome as chants of “Jai Shri Ram” echoed across the venue. Thousands of supporters gathered at the ground, many carrying BJP flags and banners, while cultural performances and devotional music added to the celebratory atmosphere.
The Brigade Parade Ground turned into a major political and cultural spectacle as supporters arrived from across West Bengal and neighbouring states. Traditional Chhou dancers, tribal performers and local artists entertained the crowd ahead of the ceremony. The venue backdrop prominently featured Bengali cultural symbols, including the Dakshineswar Kali Temple and depictions of Goddess Durga. BJP workers were also served packets of jhal muri, the popular Bengali snack that recently gained attention after Modi stopped to eat it during his campaign visit to Jhargram.
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, ending the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee and the All India Trinamool Congress. The swearing-in ceremony marked a historic political transition in the state, with several Union ministers, chief ministers from BJP-ruled states and senior NDA leaders attending the event in Kolkata.
