And the hammer fell at a whopping ₹4.31 crore. Surat-based diamond trader Laljibhai Patel bagged the much-talked-about pinstriped suit bearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name at an auction that saw intense bidding on the final day.

Amid high drama and excitement, the tussle for the suit went on till 5 pm on Friday, when the auctioning officer closed the bidding for the two-piece suit, which was worn by Modi during US President Barack Obama’s India visit in January.

The proceeds from the auction will go to the ‘Namami Gange’ (clean Ganga) project in Varanasi.

Cleaning the Ganga “This is a happy moment for us. We will keep this suit as a memento of our Prime Minister. We have been associated with Ganga cleaning for years and with this, the movement will get a boost,” said Patel, Chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds, after being announced as the successful bidder.

Over the past two days, textile traders, builders and diamond traders had bid for the suit. The bidding started at ₹11 lakh on Wednesday, the first day of the auction.

Other gifts received by Prime Minister Modi were also sold at the auction, which was conducted by the Surat District Collector’s office at the Science Centre gallery. In all, 455 gifts from the Prime Minister’s office were auctioned over three days.

In addition, 361 gifts, including clothes, showpieces, glass, metal and silverware, and gold from the Gujarat Chief Minister’s office, were auctioned.

The proceeds from the suit auction will go to an NGO in Varanasi to fund the Clean Ganga project. The proceeds from the items from the Gujarat CMO will go to Mukhya Mantri Kanya Kelavani Nidhi (girl child welfare fund).

Clock stops higher bid At one point during the auction of Modi’s suit, chaotic scenes prevailed when one of the bidders, the Avadh Group, claimed a higher bid of ₹4.51 crore.

But this was later rejected by officials, who pointed out that the deadline for bidding had passed.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW