New Delhi: A pair of slippers stitched by Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a visit to a cobbler’s shop in Sultanpur on July 26 has garnered significant attention. Many are eager to buy them for as much as Rs 2 lakh. However, the shopkeeper Ramchet has clearly refused to part with the slippers, considering them too valuable to sell.
Gandhi made a stop at Ramchet’s shop while in Sultanpur to attend a personal hearing at the MP/MLA court in connection with a defamation case from 2018. The case involves allegations of objectionable comments made by Gandhi against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP national president. During his visit to the shop near the district court, the Rae Bareli MP took a moment to learn the craft of shoe stitching and personally stitched a slipper. The next day, Gandhi sent Ramchet an electronic shoe-stitching machine as a gift.
Ramchet’s shop becomes tourist attraction
Ramchet has since become somewhat of a local celebrity in Sultanpur, with people travelling from far-away places to get their shoes polished and to see the slippers made by Rahul Gandhi. Pappu Pandey, a resident of Amethi, who visited the shop on Wednesday, said the growing popularity of the cobbler. Ramchet said that he had received an offer of Rs 1 lakh for the slippers. “A person arrived at my house early in the morning in a luxury car and offered me Rs 1 lakh for the slippers stitched by Rahulji, but I declined. When he persisted, I still refused,” he said.
Slippers too valuable to sell
Later that day, another person, who looked rich, waited at the shop and offered Rs 2 lakh or more for the slippers. Despite multiple such offers, including phone calls from potential buyers, Ramchet remained firm in his decision not to sell. “The slippers stitched by Rahul Gandhi are priceless to me,” Ramchet said. “Even if someone offers Rs1 crore, I won’t sell them. I plan to frame the slippers and display them in my shop. As long as I’m alive, they will stay with me.” When asked if he knew the identities of those who offered to buy the slippers, Ramchet replied, “I don’t know who they were. I didn’t ask for their names or addresses because I’m not interested in selling the slippers.”