Auction hero

The furore over the monogrammed suit worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during US President Barack Obama's visit to India in January had barely died when it started making headlines again, this time for its auction in Surat. The Congress lost no time in attacking Modi for orchestrating the charity auction as a "damage control exercise". Party spokesperson Ajay Maken underscored how the prestige of the Prime Minister's Office had been undermined by a life-sized mannequin resembling Narendra Modi put on display at the three-day auction. Comparing the auction of the suit with the recently-concluded Indian Premier League auction of cricket players, Maken claimed the floor price for the suit was set at Rs 11 lakh.