PM wears suit striped with his own name

The pinstripe “bandhgala” suit Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore on Sunday during his talks with US President Barack Obama in Hyderabad House had his name embroidered all over it, triggering a debate in the social media.

The debate began after close-up photographs of his suit showed that his full name—Narendra Damodardas Modi— was embroidered on the fabric vertically down the stripe.

Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha took a dig, tweeting, “If it is true that Modi’s suit has his name embroidered, it is a first, and shockingly narcissistic, the self-proclaimed master of hype.”

The “name suit” was reported to have been tailored by Jade Blue in Ahmedabad, the clothing chain that handles Modi’s wardrobe since his days as chief minister in Gujarat.

Some on Twitter noted that former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak used to wear suits with his name embossed on them.

Modi had his share of defenders too. “That’s his personal choice media morons. Did anyone ask what journalists wear?,” said one.

The prime minister’s sartorial taste has generally invited glowing commentary in India and abroad. The US media was gushing in its praise for his choice of clothes during the UN

General Assembly meet.

Obama had at the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday recalled a headline back home which asked who is the new fashion icon, referring to Modi, other than Michelle Obama and said “I was thinking of wearing a Modi kurta myself.”

Digvijay not impressed

One of the fiercest critics of Modi, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh feels that the suit the prime minister wore during his talks with Obama which had his full name embroidered on it, reflected his “megalomania”.

“I have been saying that he is megalomaniac. He believes in self-praise,” he said.
He also wasn’t impressed by Modi addressing the US President Barack Obama by his first name during their joint media interaction on Sunday.

“It is not proper to address the Head of a State in such a manner....It is improper,” Singh told reporters on Tuesday.

“Barack and me have forged a friendship. There is openess with which we talk, we can talk comfortably over phone, joke with each other... This chemistry has not only brought me and Barack close or Washington and Delhi nearer but also the people of two countries. This personal chemistry matters a lot,” Modi had said during the media interaction where he addressed the US President by his first name at least thrice.