Modi ‘humbled’ by man who vowed not to use footwear till he met PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives a pair of shoes to Rampal Kashyap on April 14, 2025. Photo: X/@narendramodi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Rampal Kashyap, a resident of Haryana’s Kaithal, who 14 years ago had pledged not to use footwear until Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister and met him in person.

Mr. Kashyap met the Prime Minister in Yamunanagar, where the latter inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of development projects.

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Even as Mr. Modi assumed office in 2014, Mr. Kashyap continued to travel barefoot, awaiting a meeting with the Prime Minister. An official statement said that Mr. Modi was humbled to learn about Mr. Kashyap. He urged citizens to focus their energy on meaningful actions linked to social work and nation building.

In a separate post on X, Mr. Modi wrote: “At today’s public meeting in Yamunanagar, I met Shri Rampal Kashyap Ji from Kaithal. He had taken a vow 14 years ago- that he will only wear footwear after I became PM and he got to meet me. I am humbled by people like Rampal Ji and also accept their affection but I want to request everyone who takes up such vows – I cherish your love… please focus on something that is linked to social work and nation building!”