Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh garlanded with shoes in Ahmedabad, but says he bears no grudge

Ahmedabad: A Congress MLA was garlanded with shoes by a man during his rally in Shahpur area of Ahmedabad on Wednesday. With the video of the incident being circulated in social media, the MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh, who represents Dariyapur seat in the city, played it down saying he knew that such thing would happen. He said the man who garlanded him with shoes was once running a gambling den and was angry with him for shutting down his illegal business. “That person was once very close to me. He was like my friend in the past. However, when I learned that he was running a gambling den, I informed the police and closed down his illegal business. People of my area very well know my stand against gambling and liquor trade,” the MLA told PTI.

Shaikh said the man was harbouring a grudge against him. “He had threatened that I will be welcomed with a garland of shoes. Despite his threat, I didn’t change my plans. I even allowed him to garland me with shoes when my rally reached Shahpur. I clearly told him that my stand will not change with threats and such acts,” he said. Shaikh had organised the rally to protest the rise in fuel prices and to highlight the problems faced by traders due to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The incident occurred a day after a BJP corporator was tied to a tree in Vadodara and beaten up allegedly by the residents of his ward who accused him of failing to prevent the demolition of a slum by the civic body.