INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
INDORE: 'Joote khana' (being slapped with slippers) may be considered the ultimate humiliation but Congress Ratlam candidate Paras Saklecha
happily got himself smacked on one cheek, and then turned the other, after going to a fakir known to bless people's souls with soles.The
fakir, in fact, blessed him rather energetically and had to be told 'bas bas, ho gaya' (that's enough).A video of the incident was shared
widely on social media on Friday, voting day, though it happened on Thursday.When TOI contacted Saklecha, he said, "He is a famous Fakir
Baba, fondly called 'Abba' in the area
He lives in a Dargah on Mhow Road and is very respected
People seek to give him lungi, vest and slippers as offerings but he accepts only from very few people and throws the rest away."A day
before polling, Saklecha went to seek his blessings and took along a pair of sandals
"The Fakir Baba accepted the slippers I gave him
By slapping me with the slippers, it's his way to bless me
He has removed all the evil shadows, if any, that were upon me," the Congress candidate said.Saklecha is contesting against BJP's
billionaire MLA Chetan Kashyap
In 2008, contesting as an independent, Saklecha had won the Ratlam assembly seat, but lost to Kashyap in 2013 and finished third
Kashyap won the seat in 2018 too and is seeking re-election for a third time.
