He feared wagging tongues!

There is a well-known politico who, whenever sees a little child, would take it into his arms and coddle it.

However, the politico departed from this practice at a public function held recently.

A couple had been keen on taking a picture of their little one in the arms of this politico, but to their disappointment the politico had just sweet-talked to the child without taking it into his arms as usual.

The politico had even turned down a request made by a friend of the couple to take the child into his arms so that he could take a picture.

The politico had later told some people at the ceremony that he wanted to take into his arms that ‘sweet little thing’, adding: “But if the child started crying while in my arms, some would find it good stuff for gossip. Even some newspaper would carry a big story saying that I go round making innocent children cry!”