Former Union Minister V Narayanasamy held slippers for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the latter visited flood-affected Puducherry on Tuesday, reports NDTV.

V Narayansamy, Congress lawmaker and once a Minister of State (MoS) in the Manmohan Singh PMO, was seen in a video holding the slippers while the Congress vice president removed his shoes to walk in a flooded area, and then placing them down for him to wear. Rahul Gandhi was seen putting them on without much surprise.

Narayansamy defended himself after the incident came to light. "As a courtesy I offered my chappals as Mr Rahul Gandhi removed his shoes to walk barefoot in the water," he claimed. He added that there was no 'culture of sycophancy' in the Congress, ironically going on to praise Rahul Gandhi.

"We don't have such a culture in the Congress. Rahul carried his shoes throughout and he didn't even let his security personnel carry them for him," Narayanasamy said.