The pinstripe bandhgala suit Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore during his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in Hyderabad House on Sunday 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.
“While ‘Modi Kurta’ might have been interesting, ‘Modi Suit’ feels annoying,” was one of the tweets.
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.”
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,” one asked.
Another noted, “Well Mubarak didn’t have media morons to deal with! Poor Modi can’t even wear what he wants to without media doing a commentary.”
Fashion statement
The Prime Minister’s sartorial taste has generally invited glowing commentary in India and abroad.
The U.S. media was gushing in its praise for his choice of clothes during the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
Mr. Obama had at the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee recalled a headline back home which asked who the new fashion icon is, referring to Mr. Modi, other than Michelle Obama, and said “I was thinking of wearing a Modi kurta myself.”