Lagatar24 Desk
Sultanpur (UP): Ram Chet, a cobbler from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has become a local celebrity after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited his roadside shop. Gandhi, who was in Sultanpur for a court hearing, took a brief detour to chat with Ram Chet and even tried his hand at mending a sandal. This moment, captured and shared widely on social media, transformed Ram Chet’s life overnight.
The following day, Ram Chet received a new sewing machine from Rahul Gandhi, which has significantly eased his work. Since the visit, people have been flocking to his makeshift shop for selfies, and officials have started inquiring about his well-being. “People are stopping their bikes, cars and calling out to me. He has given me a lot of respect,” Ram Chet said.
Offers to buy the shoe stitched by Rahul Gandhi have poured in, with one reaching as high as Rs 10 lakh. Despite the tempting offers, Ram Chet firmly refuses to sell the footwear. “The offers started at Rs 5 lakh and have now gone up to Rs 10 lakh. One caller offered me bags full of cash, but I refused. I won’t sell them,” he asserted. Jokingly, he added, “Rahul Gandhi is my partner. We run the shop in partnership.”
Ram Chet also mentioned that he won’t return the footwear to its original owner but would compensate them instead. He reminisced about his conversation with Gandhi, saying, “He asked me how shoes are pasted, I showed him, and he did it.”
Living in a makeshift hut without electricity, Ram Chet has faced new attention from local officials since the visit. “People from the administration are now coming and asking me about my problems. They never came before,” he noted.
To use the sewing machine in his power-less home, Ram Chet plans to keep it at his son’s house, which has electricity. Raghuram, Ram Chet’s son, expressed their family’s joy at meeting Rahul Gandhi. “He treated us with respect and dignity. He asked me why I am not in this profession anymore. I told him that when I worked as a cobbler, people did not respect me. So I left the profession. I work as a laborer now,” Raghuram shared.
