Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday felicitated Makhan Lal Sarkar, a senior worker of the BJP party in West Bengal, during the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The PM was emotional as he touched Sarkar’s feet for blessings.
The 98-year old is a resident of Siliguri and was known as one of the close aides of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and one of the earliest figures associated with the nationalist movement in post independence India.
Sarkar was once arrested for singing a nationalist song and refusing to apologise in court for it. He also sang the song at court.
In 1980, he was made the organisation coordinator after the formation of the BJP for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts.
Within just one year, he enrolled nearly 10,000 members into the party.
He also served as district president for seven consecutive years starting in 1981.
Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya recalled "Mookerjee was killed in a mysterious way in a Kashmir jail. Sarkar, who was part of his last journey, has graced us with his presence today," he added.
"Sarkar told the judge he didn't commit any crime; that he had only sung a song. The judge wanted to listen to the song, so he sang it again in the court. The judge then asked the police to get Sarkar a first-class ticket back home and give him Rs 100 for his journey," said the Bengal BJP chief.
Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the first-ever chief minister from the BJP in West Bengal on Saturday.
The ceremony was attended by several Chief Ministers, including Yogi Adityanath and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.