Diamond barons of Surat to place highest bid for PM Narendra Modi's suit

SURAT: Keen to win the auction for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's famed pin-striped suit, the diamond barons of Surat have convened a meeting on Thursday to decide on the highest bidding amount. The diamond merchants want to showcase the suit at the upcoming complex of the newly-formed Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB).

"This could be the best memorabilia for the SDB complex. We will make a special place to display the suit at the bourse," SDB convenor Mathur Savani said.

The diamond merchants say that this is the first time an auction of PM's gift articles is being held in Surat and it is their responsibility to support the cause of Ganga cleansing project. "Surtis are known to be charitable and the maximum value the suit could fetch is from here," said a prominent diamond merchant Govind Dholakiya.

Ramesh Virani, director of a reputed diamond trading company, KARP Impex, has claimed that he had gifted the fabric for the suit to Modi during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held in Gandhinagar last month. Virani said the gift to Modi was for his son's wedding ceremony, scheduled on January 26. Modi had adorned the suit with his full name — Narendra Damodardas Modi — forming the stripes when US President Barack Obama visited India for Republic Day.

"I had personally gone to Gandhinagar during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit to meet Narendrabhai and invite him for my son's wedding. I told him that this is the first ceremony in our family after my father's death two years ago. I wanted him to attend it like an elder brother and gifted the fabric to him," Virani said.