Makhanlal Sarkar: The Forgotten Foot Soldier Whose Lifetime of Service Earned Modi’s Salute

History remembers the leaders who stand at the podium. It is less generous to those who spend decades building the road that leads there.

Makhanlal Sarkar belongs to that quieter order of political workers. A veteran nationalist from Siliguri and one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s earliest grassroots organisers in West Bengal, Sarkar devoted much of his life to an organisation that, during his formative years, possessed little electoral influence in the state. In May 2026, his largely unsung journey entered the national spotlight when Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowed to touch his feet.

But that moving moment was the culmination of a story stretching back more than seven decades.

Who Is Makhanlal Sarkar?

Makhanlal Sarkar is a veteran political worker from Siliguri, West Bengal, closely associated with the nationalist movement and the early growth of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Now in his late nineties, Sarkar represents a generation for whom political work rarely meant television appearances, social-media visibility or positions of power. It meant travelling through towns and villages, speaking to people personally, enrolling members and sustaining an organisation through years when success appeared distant.

His political journey began in the years following Independence, when questions concerning India’s unity and the constitutional relationship with Jammu and Kashmir occupied the national imagination.

Walking Alongside Syama Prasad Mookerjee

One of the defining chapters of Makhanlal Sarkar’s life was his association with Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and one of the principal ideological figures behind the movement that eventually gave rise to the BJP.

Contemporary accounts state that Sarkar accompanied Mookerjee during the Kashmir movement and was arrested while participating in the campaign connected with the right to carry and hoist the Indian Tricolour there. He was also described by West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya as an aide to Mookerjee and a participant in his final journey.

Another episode reveals the character behind the political worker. According to Bhattacharya, Sarkar was once arrested in Delhi for singing a patriotic song. When asked in court to apologise, he refused, maintaining that singing the song was no crime. The judge reportedly asked him to sing it again and, after hearing it, arranged a first-class ticket and ₹100 for his return journey.

Whether confronting arrest or standing before a judge, Sarkar’s politics appeared rooted less in personal ambition and more in conviction.

The Man Who Built the Organisation from the Ground Up

When the Bharatiya Janata Party was formed in 1980, its presence in West Bengal, particularly across the northern districts, was limited. Sarkar was entrusted with organisational responsibility for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.

His work produced remarkable results. Reports credit him with helping enrol nearly 10,000 members in just one year, giving the young party a wider grassroots network in North Bengal. Beginning in 1981, he served for seven consecutive years as district president and became the first BJP president of the Siliguri organisational district.

These figures tell only part of the story. Building a political organisation in that period required extensive personal contact, door-to-door outreach and patient relationship-building. Sarkar worked when political expansion depended not on digital campaigns but on trust carried from one person to another.

His legacy, therefore, lies not in a famous speech or elected office, but in the thousands of relationships that helped an organisation take root.

The Moment Narendra Modi Touched His Feet

On May 9, 2026, Makhanlal Sarkar was invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. Before the ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the veteran worker, felicitated him with a shawl, embraced him and bent down to touch his feet.

The images travelled across the country, turning an intimate gesture of respect into a public acknowledgement of decades of service. Modi described Sarkar as a “devout nationalist” who had worked with Dr Mookerjee, endured arrest in Jammu and Kashmir and dedicated his life to expanding the party across West Bengal. He called figures like Sarkar a source of motivation for those working among the people.

Modi’s gesture did more than honour one elderly party worker. It brought into the light the quiet labour of countless individuals whose names may never enter history books, but whose courage, conviction and lifelong service have helped shape the nation.

For a few unforgettable moments, the spotlight moved away from power and rested upon service. Luv My India salutes Makhanlal Sarkar and every unsung patriot like him, whose unwavering devotion reminds us that India is built not only by those who lead from the front, but also by those who dedicate a lifetime to the nation without ever asking for recognition.