The bidding price for the country's most famous suit has shot up to nearly Rs 1.5 crore. A diamond merchant, Mukesh Patel, has outbid everyone so far in the race to own Prime Minister Narendra Modi's navy suit with his name woven into it in pin-stripes.
"It's a diamond and I know its value," said Mr Patel, who had earlier offered Rs 1.39 crore for the suit, but has raised it to Rs 1.48 crore. He had faced raids by the Income Tax Department earlier, but says that has nothing to do with his bid. "I am not dealing with black money. I am buying the suit with white money," he told NDTV.
Gujarat-based industrialist Komalkant Sharma has made the second best offer - 1.41 crore. He too was subject to raids by the Income Tax Department, three years ago, but he claims it was the result of a technical error and that he has been cleared.
Rajesh Maheshwari, a nursery school teacher in Surat, offered Rs 1.25 crore this morning. He said he represents "Global Friends of Modi", a consortium of admirers of the PM scattered across the globe.
The crowd-sourced bid is a good investment, said Mr Maheshwari. "People spend Rs. 10 crore on a wedding. Imagine how proud a groom will be to wear the suit worn by India's Prime Minister on a historic occasion. We can also charge Rs. 1,000 for a selfie with the suit and donate that money for children's education."
The three-day auction ends today.
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