Visakhapatnam: A Vizag resident has sent a demand draft for Rs 364 to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to buy a pair of footwear if he attends the ongoing International Fleet Review here so that he “does not embarrass India again”.
The grouse of Mr Sumit Agarwal, who runs, a waste-to-energy plant, was that Mr Kejriwal embarrassed India by wearing a pair of sandals when he met French President Francos Hollande during his recent visit to India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“What is he trying to portray by wearing sandals, that India still remains the land of snake charmers and elephant riders? Though what he wears is his personal choice, when he holds public office and represents the state he needs to maintain dignity, decorum and protocol. We have Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi going around the globe to secure a permanent seat in the UNSC and Mr Kejriwal embarrasses India,” Mr Agarwal said.
He also wrote to Mr Kejriwal expressing his anguish over his wearing sandals to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“It broke my heart to see you like this. I’m deeply aggrieved. It’s sad that the Delhi government does not even provide proper footwear to its employees whereas even microscale industries (such as mine), with their lifetime budgets far lesser than the Delhi government’s daily budget, provide boots to their workers free of cost!” he wrote.
Mr Agarwal collected money from his friends and neighbours to send Mr Kejriwal. “Out of the Rs 364, my contribution was Rs 49, as Mr Kejriwal’s first tenure as Delhi Chief Minister was 49 days. I collected the remaining amount from 18 to 20 persons. Some gave Rs 2, others Rs 5 and Rs 10,” Mr Agarwal said, adding that some of them, including his family members, laughed at him.
“Sir, like you, I’m a mechanical engineer, albeit not from an IIT or a reputed institution. Like you, I’m a Marwari (Baniya) too. But, unlike you, I lack the raw charisma of the common man from the streets. So despite my earnest efforts, I could only gather Rs 364 for you,” he wrote in the letter.
“Though such a modest amount is not enough for a Chief Minister, I believe any amount is good enough for someone who claims that he has no shoes despite having a monthly salary of -only’ Rs 2,10,000. Also, I paid the DD commission to the bank to avoid affecting the collections,” the letter said.
“I humbly request your good self to kindly accept this small contribution and use it to buy a nice pair of black formal shoes. Should you need more money, kindly write back and I will go around the block (and the entire city if need be) asking for more,” he wrote.
