UP cobbler gets sewing machine a day after visit by Rahul Gandhi

Lucknow/Sultanpur: A day after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made a brief halt at his shop, cobbler Ram Chet on Saturday got a sewing machine from the Congress leader, a party spokesperson here said.

Gandhi had on Friday on his way back to Lucknow from Sultanpur stopped at cobbler Chet's shop.

"Jannayak (leader of the people), yesterday had met a cobbler family and understood the pain of their work and today Shri @RahulGandhi has sent them a sewing machine which is used in cobbling work so that they can make their future work easier. We are proud of our leader, Jannayak Rahul Gandhi," UP Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said in a post on X in Hindi.

"Understanding the pain and suffering of the people, standing with them and helping them is the definition of a leader," he said.

UP Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that on Friday Gandhi had met Chet for about 30 minutes in Vidhayak Nagar on the outskirts of Sultanpur and talked to him about the challenges of his work.

"By giving the modern machine to the cobbler, Rahul Gandhi ji has sent a message to the entire country and society that he stands with the poor and the oppressed," he said.

Chet said he greeted Gandhi, who he had only seen on TV before, with a cold drink after the leader gave him a surprise visit.

"He said he will see what he can do for me," Chet said.

Gandhi had gone to Sultanpur to appear in a court in connection with a 2018 defamation case.

He was accused by local BJP leader Vijay Mishra of making "objectionable comments" against Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru during the Karnataka elections.

Meanwhile, when asked how he felt after getting the sewing machine, Chet said, "I am very happy that I got such a big thing so soon." Chet had on Friday said Gandhi came from Sultanpur and he suddenly came and sat in his shop and started asking about his shop and how he stitches shoes.

"I told him that I get the shoes stitched from Kurebhar and get them fitted here... Seeing my poverty, he (Gandhi) said he will help me. Today, on the second day itself, he has helped me a lot by sending the machine.

"I used to make one or two pairs of shoes in a day. Now, after getting this machine, I will be able to make 8-10 pairs in a day," he said.

He will be able to stitch school bags, purses and other similar accessories now, he said.

Asked how the machine will run as there is no electricity there, Chet said, "My son gets electricity supply. I will keep the machine at his place and do the sewing work."

Meanwhile, in a post on X in Hindi, the UP Congress on Saturday said, "Jannayak Rahul Gandhi ji met cobbler Ram Chet ji in Sultanpur yesterday and understood the intricacies of his work. Now a shoe stitching machine has been sent to him, which will make it easier for Ram Chet ji to stitch shoes. This is your Rahul, the Rahul of the people."