Sultanpur cobbler gets ₹2L offer for slippers stitched by Rahul Gandhi, not ready to sell
Rahul Gandhi had stopped at Ramchet’s shop when he was in Sultanpur to make a personal appearance in the MP/MLA court in a defamation case filed against him in 2018
Slippers stitched by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during a halt at a cobbler’s shop in Sultanpur on July 26 are in great demand and people are ready to buy them for even ₹2 lakh but the shopkeeper Ramchet said he has refused to sell as the pair is now precious for him.
Rahul Gandhi had stopped at Ramchet’s shop when he was in Sultanpur to make a personal appearance in the MP/MLA court in a defamation case filed against him in 2018, wherein he was accused of making objectionable remarks against Union home minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP national president.
At the shop near the district court, the Rae Bareli MP learned the art of stitching shoes and stitched a slipper. The next day he sent the cobbler an electronic shoe-stiching machine.
Now, the cobbler has became a celebrity of sorts in Sultanpur are people from far-off places are visiting his shop to get their shoes polished and have a look at the slippers stiched by Rahul Gandhi , said Pappu Pandey, an Amethi resident who visited the cobbler’s shop on Wednesday.
Ramchet told HT that he received an offer of ₹1 lakh for that slipper.
“Today, a person in a big car reached my house early in the morning and offered me rupees ₹1 lakh for the slippers stiched by Rahulji, but I refused. When he insisted, I again refused.”
“When I reached my shop, a person who appeared to be quite wealthy was waiting. He offered ₹2 lakh and more, but I turned him down too. I also received many phone calls from buyers, but I declined their offers,” he said.
Ramchet said the slippers stitched by Rahul Gandhi are precious for him.
“Why thousands or lakhs , even if someone gives ₹1 crore, I will not sell the slippers,” Ramchet said, adding that that he will get the slippers stitched by Rahul Gandhi framed and installed in the shop.
“As long as I am alive, I will keep them before me,” he said.
When asked if he knew the people who approached him to purchase the slippers, he said, “I don’t know any of them. I didn’t ask their names and addresses because I am not going to sell those slippers.”
