The famously fastidious prime minister was mocked for narcissism after wearing the bespoke wool suit with the words “Narendra Damodardas Modi” woven into it in tiny letters when he met the US president in Delhi last month.
It will go on sale, along with more than 450 other gifts the Indian premier has received, in a three-day auction that starts on Wednesday in the city of Surat in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, organisers said.
“These items are gifts that the PM received since he took charge… the items that will be auctioned include his pinstriped suit,” Milind Toravane, Surat municipal chief and organiser of the event, told AFP.
Toravane said no reserve had been set for the suit.
The money will go towards the clean-up of the Ganges, a pet project of Modi, who has described the pollution of the sacred river as a national shame.
It is not the first time Modi has auctioned off gifts for charity — as chief minister of Gujarat, he gave away some 18,000 items, raising over $3 million for girls’ education. -AFP
-Surat Businessman bids Rs 1.21 crores-
The latest bid for Prime Minister Naredra Modi’s personalized pinstripe suit now stands at Rs 1.21 crore. Surat businessman Rajesh Juneja has hiked the bid for the suit from Rs 1 crore, bid earlier by Suresh Agarwal to Rs 1.21 crore.
#ModiSuit auction: Suresh Agarwal from Surat who made a bid for Rs 1 Crore pic.twitter.com/vFCKCEPgcw
— ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2015
The opening bid for the suit was Rs 51 lakh made by Rajubhai Agarwal of Surat.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has strongly criticized the auction and said it was a damage control exercise.
“This is DCPR, Damage Control Public Relations, this has nothing to do with Ganga cleaning,” TMC leader Derek O’Brien said.
