UP Cobbler Who Rahul Met Now A Local Celeb; Offered Rs 10L For Slippers Stitched By Congress Leader

Rahul Gandhi's brief stop at Ram Chet's shop on July 26 has turned the latter into a local celebrity.

Rahul Gandhi on July 26 spoke to him about his family and his problems. During this, Gandhi also tried his hand at stitching a footwear and pasting a shoe.

Ram Chet said officials from various government departments also reached out to him to enquire about his problems ever since the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha made a surprise visit to his humble shop in the Vidhayak Nagar area on outskirts of Sultanpur, turning Chet into a local celebrity.

Chet claims that Rahul Gandhi's visit has dramatically changed his fortunes, bringing him into the limelight.

"My world has completely changed. Nobody knew me before, but now people come to my shop and take selfies with me," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

Regarding the slipper stitched by Gandhi, Chet said that he has received many calls from people wanting to buy that footwear. "The highest offer I have received so far is that of Rs 10 lakh. Someone from Pratapgarh called me on Tuesday, offering Rs 5 lakh for the slipper. When I refused, they increased the offer to Rs 10 lakh. I told them I won't sell it as the slipper is lucky for me," Chet was quoted as saying.

Asked what he plans to do with the slipper, he said, "I will frame it in glass and keep it in my shop. Rahul Gandhi has become a partner in my shop."

"After Rahul Gandhi visited my shop, officials from various government departments have started coming to enquire about my problems," he said.

The Congress leader was in Sultanpur to appear before an MP-MLA court in a defamation case against him. Local BJP leader Vijay Mishra had filed the complaint on August 4, 2018 against Gandhi for his alleged objectionable comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru in May 2018 during the Karnataka elections.