AYODHYA: Ramchet, a cobbler from Sultanpur who found himself in the spotlight after he had an unexpected visitor on July 26 – Rahul Gandhi – claims he is swamped with offers to sell the footwear mended by the Congress MP during the brief stopover at his rundown shop near the district court.
Rahul had stopped at Ramchet’s shop after making a personal appearance in the Sultanpur MP/MLA court in connection with a defamation case for alleged objectionable remarks against Union home minister Amit Shah.He spent about half-an-hour with the cobbler chatting with him about his trade, and also tried his hand at stitching a pair of slippers and ‘pasting’ a shoe. The following day, the LoP in the Lok Sabha sent an electric shoe stitching machine to Ramchet.
Since then, Ramchet has been inundated with offers from people eager to purchase the footwear that Rahul had worked on. Some have offered as much as Rs 2 lakh for the pair of slippers, claims the cobbler, adding that he has steadfastly refused to part with them. He says he intends to “get them framed” and keep them as a cherished memento for the rest of his life.
Pappu Pandey, a resident of Amethi who visited Ramchet’s shop Wednesday, said: “Ramchet has now become a local celebrity. People from distant places visit his modest shop to get their shoes polished and to catch a glimpse of slippers stitched by Rahul Gandhi.”
When asked about the people who offered him money for the slippers, Ramchet said, “I didn’t even ask their names and addresses because I do not intend to sell it even if someone offers me Rs 1 crore. I will keep it with me till I am alive.”