Modi's 'Obama suit' auction to fund Ganges clean-up

The 43 million rupees paid by an Indian diamond trader for a personalised suit worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go to cleaning up the Ganges.

Obama suit auction will fund Ganges clean up

In this Jan.25, 2015 file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, wears a dark pinstriped suit with his name monogrammed in dull gold stripes.

A diamond trader from Narendra Modi's home state has won the bidding for the personalised pinstriped suit the Indian prime minister wore to meet Barack Obama, tendering $US692,000 ($A888,600) at a charity auction.

The bespoke wool suit with the words "Narendra Damodardas Modi" woven into the pinstripe proved a hot ticket at the auction on Friday, sparking a bidding war that pushed the price up to 43.1 million rupees ($US692,000).

The suit was among more than 450 lots put up for auction by Modi in the city of Surat in his home state of Gujarat.

Modi has won a reputation as a fashion icon for his sometimes daring sartorial choices.

But wearing a suit with his own name on it was seen by many as a step too far, drawing accusations of narcissism - possibly the reason Modi decided to sell it off.

The money raised will go towards cleaning up the holy Ganges river - a pet project of India's Hindu nationalist prime minister.

Winning bidder Lalji Patel, owner of the Dharmanandan diamond company, said he had wanted to do something for his country.

"Buying this suit was all I wanted. It feels good to know that the money will go towards the cleaning of the holy river," he told reporters.


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Source: AAP


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