After videos and images of him holding slippers to enable Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi wear them went viral, former union minister V. Narayanasamy on Wednesday said he did that out of courtesy to help his party leader wade through a flooded street in Puducherry.

On Tuesday, Mr. Gandhi toured flood-hit regions of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. During his visit to the Union Territory, regional Congress leaders, including Mr. Narayanasamy had accompanied him.

Among Mr. Gandhi’s tour pictures and videos was one showing Mr. Narayanasamy — slightly bent — and holding a pair of slippers for his leader to wear and it went viral.

Mr. Narayanasamy said, “It was not Rahul Gandhi’s slippers, it was mine and I was holding it for him to wear out of courtesy so that he could walk through a flooded neighbourhood.”

“Rahul ji was wearing shoes and he had to remove it as the street was flooded. As he got ready to walk barefoot, I offered mine as the flooded street had thorns and rough stones,” he said.

“I followed Rahul ji by wearing another pair of slippers given to me by a party worker,” he said.