127-year-old woman blesses Abhishek during his rally

A 127-year-old woman, Bimala Sarkar blessed Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and also thanked him for the introduction of old age pension by the state government.

The centenarian was waiting by the roadside in Malda’s Nalagola to catch a glimpse of Abhishek as he passed through the village during his Trinamool-e Nabajowar campaign.

He noticed the elderly woman waiting and went over to meet her and received her blessings.

Sarkar took the opportunity to thank him and his government for her pension of Rs 1,000, which she receives each month under the West Bengal government’s Old Age Pension Scheme.

She explained how the money remains essential for her to buy medicines each month as her sons, who are now retired, live modestly. She expressed gratitude for the various social schemes implemented by the ruling party in Bengal.

Sarkar came to India with her parents and brothers in 1958, after growing up as part of undivided India. Her family stayed in a refugee camp in Odisha before being moved to another camp in Andhra Pradesh after the outbreak of a disease in the previous camp.

Eventually, the Sarkar family settled permanently in Nalagola in the Malda district, where some of her family members had already settled.