PM Modi's pin-striped suit with his name is being auctioned in Surat, Gujarat
A businessman has bid Rs 1 crore for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "name-striped" suit, which is being auctioned today in Gujarat's Surat.
The suit, worn by the prime minister just once, went on sale along with more than 450 other gifts he has received. The first bid for Rs 51 lakh was put in by Rajubhai Agarwal, a BJP leader. Suresh Agrawal, a textile businessman, has doubled that offer.
Interested buyers can bid till 5 pm on Friday, says senior Surat official Rajendra Kumar. A mannequin resembling PM Modi now wears the famous navy and gold suit as it is displayed at the Science Centre in the city.
The prime minister was mocked by opposition parties for narcissism when he wore the suit with the words "Narendra Damodardas Modi" woven into it in tiny letters during US President Barack Obama's visit to India last month. It was tailored by Jade Blue in Ahmedabad, the clothing chain that handles the Prime Minister's wardrobe.
Congress leader Ajay Maken today said, "How can such an expensive gift to the PM be private? What did this person get in return?" The party's vice president Rahul Gandhi had recently taken a swipe at the prime minister and commented at a rally in Delhi that he wore a "10 lakh-rupee suit Made in UK."
There is no base price on PM Modi's articles. "They are personal property and have not been evaluated," Rajendra Kumar told NDTV.
The money will go towards the clean-up of the Ganga, a pet project of PM Modi, who has described the pollution of the sacred river as a national shame.
When he was Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr Modi made it a tradition to auction his gifts for charity. He gave away some 18,000 items and the proceeds went into a scheme for educating girls.