Prime Minister Narendra Modi touches the feet of 97- to 98-year-old Makhanlal (Makhan Lal) Sarkar in West Bengal, as multiple outlets report. The moment occurs ahead of or during the BJP government swearing-in, where Suvendu Adhikari takes the oath as chief minister. NDTV and other reports identify Sarkar as a BJP veteran associated with the nationalist movement. NDTV quotes Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya, who says Sarkar was an aide of Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and part of Mookerjee’s “last journey.” News18 describes Sarkar as an early grassroots figure linked to the nationalist movement in post-Independence India. Times of India adds that Sarkar is recognised for decades of service and notes his arrest in Kashmir in 1952 while with Syama Prasad Mukherjee. Mint similarly describes him as one of the earliest members or veteran workers of the BJP and reports that he is felicitated by Modi before Adhikari’s oath-taking. Across outlets, the reports agree on Modi’s gesture of respect and Sarkar’s long association with the nationalist movement and early BJP activism.