India, May 9 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met and took blessings of 98-year-old BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar during a public event in West Bengal, drawing attention to the senior party worker's long political journey and association with India's nationalist movement.

Makhanlal Sarkar is regarded as one of the most senior grassroots workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal and has been associated with organisational activities since the early post-Independence era.

According to reports, Sarkar was linked to the early nationalist movement and is known for his association with events connected to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee.

In 1952, he was reportedly arrested in Kashmir while accompanyin...