Flip-flops are the latest fashion statement for the youth and they stock as many available variants and designs of V-strapped rubber slippers as possible. But, in a bizarre twist to the tale, footwear shops are selling a new set of footwear with revolutionary Cuban leader Che Guevara’s picture on it.
The slippers having the cult figure’s photo in it are available in shops across the state.
Provoked, the Democratic Youth Federation Of India (DYFI) took out a protest march to some of the shops in Thrissur district and warned shopowners against its continued sale.
Shop owners were taken unawares. They said they got the slippers from Delhi.
“We thought youngsters will be interested in it and so we stocked it,” said a shopowner.
“Che is not simply a Communist figure; he is a youth icon, the most renowned revolutionary in history. Using his image in a flip-flop is unacceptable,” said DYFI state president M.B. Rajesh. “Our protest should not be seen as part of the moral policing. We are not against fashion. We have seen such incidents in Mumbai and Delhi and we successfully intervened to stem such trends. However, DYFI will protest if the images of Mahatma Gandhi or Bhagat Singh are used this way, too,” he said.