Canididates fear shoe attacks

Candidates in India have asked for more security because they are worried about being hit by shoes thrown by disgruntled voters.

Lal Krishna Advani, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate was the latest politician to be at the receiving end Thursday, as an angry party worker threw a slipper at him during an election meeting in a central state.

The slipper missed Advani, but was enough for authorities to step up security for all leaders across the country.

The incident was the latest episode of shoe-throwing as a mark of protest against political leaders, including former U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Throwing a shoe at someone is considered an insult in India.

Indian politicians have asked party workers to remove shoes at meetings and alerted police and their security staff to keep a tab on people, including journalists in news conferences.

"The security is extremely tight for politicians, and we are keeping a close watch on everyone," a Delhi Police spokesman said.

Perhaps our former president should teach shoe ducking classes. He did such a good job of evading when one was thrown at him.