Modi's monogrammed suit enters Guinness Book

Surat (Guj), Aug 20: The monogrammed suit donned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with US President Barack Obama in New Delhi last year, which had kicked up a controversy, entered the Guinness World Records as "the most expensive suit sold at auction".

The suit had gone under the hammer in February last year and was purchased for Rs 4.31 crore by Surat-based diamond trader Lalji Patel, who owns Dharmananda Diamond Company. "It is a matter of happiness and pride that the suit has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

We had applied for the world record around five months back on the suggestion of our company's HR management team.

Within a couple of months, we received a certificate acknowledging that it was the world's most expensive suit sold at an auction," Hitesh Patel, son of Laljibhai, said here today.

The suit, which has stripes with the name 'Narendra Damodardas Modi' woven into it in glittering gold letters, has been placed inside a glass cabin at the reception of the Dharmananda Diamond Company for visitors to view it, Patel said.

The suit was reportedly prepared at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and was auctioned at a base price of Rs 11 lakh. The Guinness World Records acknowledges the suit as the "most expensive suit (clothing) sold at auction is Rs 43,131,311 and was bought by Laljibhai Tulsibhai Patel (India) in Surat, Gujarat, India on February 20, 2015."

The money raised from the auction of the suit has been earmarked for the Centre's clean Ganga mission. After successfully bidding for the suit, owner Laljibhai Patel had told the media that he wanted to do something for the country and this auction gave him a chance.

"I always wanted to do something in the interest of the country. This event gave me a chance to do something in national interest, in this case for Clean Ganga Mission. I never thought that this incredible suit will finally come to me," he had then said.

The suit, which Modi had worn during Obama's three-day state visit to India in January last year, had kicked up a political row with opposition parties accusing the PM of 'narcissism'. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had latched on it to accuse Modi of heading a "suit-boot ki sarkar" which worked only for the rich.

PTI