PM Narendra Modi had created quite a buzz last year with the pinstripe suit he had donned during President Barack Obama’s visit in 2015. The suit had his name woven into it in gold pinstripes and was sold for Rs 4.31 crore to 62-year old Hitesh Laljibhai Patel, a Surat-based diamond merchant after a three-day auction. The money collected was assigned for the PM’s campaign to clean the River Ganga.
Well, there’s more to that! The suit also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘most expensive suit sold ever’, news agency ANI reported.
Businessman Ramesh Virani had gifted the suit to the PM on his son’s wedding, according to reports. The suit had sparked quite a fire from opposition parties, blaming the ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ of undue extravagance.
Some of the highest bids at the auction were made by owners of the Diamond Aeronautics Company. The auction also had businessmen, diamond merchants and a teacher making offers.
It’s a matter of pride that a suit worn by Narendra Modi will now be mine.Hitesh Laljibhai Patel, 2015
(With inputs from NDTV, The Indian Express)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)