Yechury's shoe size is 9

NEW DELHI: Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia television, who tossed his shoes at president George Bush, is the CPM���s latest pin-up boy. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, who relished the disgraceful act, came close to suggesting that the Iraqi journalist fulfilled the dream of every party activist and their ideological soulmates.

���Our prime minister has told President Bush that people in India love him. Now because of that shoes may be hurled at the people of India too,��� Mr Yechury said at a press conference here on Monday.

Mr Yechury was asked to give his comments on shoe hurling incident. He said the incident reflected the ���level of anguish against the US occupation in Iraq.��� In other words, he seemed to believe that throwing one���s shoes at the opponent is a truly democratic action.

The Marxist leader���s delight over the act did not end there. When a reporter made a tongue-in-cheek query as to whether the shoe was sent by him, Mr Yechury replied: ���My shoe size is nine. That was a ten size.���

An Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes and an insult at president Bush as he was shaking hands with the Iraqi premier at his Baghdad office on Sunday.

As the two leaders met in Nuri al-Maliki���s private office, a journalist sitting in the third row jumped up, shouting: ���It is the farewell kiss, you dog,��� and threw his shoes one after the other towards Bush. Maliki made a protective gesture towards the US president, who ducked and was not hit.