Did PM send his pinstripe suit for valuation before auction?

Narendra Modi had this now-controversial item of clothing auctioned with 455 others he had got as prime minister at various stages; the rules seem to show he could have kept it, despite its much-reported value. Archis Mohan reports



According to a Right to Information reply posted on the ministry of external affairs' website, Manmohan Singh retained 101 items from the gifts he had got as prime minister abroad and from visiting foreign dignitaries.

The partial list, of items retained until mid-2013, includes "a Bose speaker wave music system" worth Rs 20,000 and a "gold-made Piaget ladies' wristwatch" worth Rs 35,000.

According to another list, Singh chose to retain nearly two dozen more gifts he received from mid-2013 till he demitted office.

Nearly all these were valued under Rs 5,000.

Two sets of rules govern whether a "government servant" -- including ministers -- can retain a gift.

Those from foreigners come under the Contribution (Acceptance or Retention of Gifts or Presentations) Regulations, 1978, and the Foreign Contribution (Acceptance or Retention of Gifts or Presentations) Rules, 2012.

However, gifts from domestic sources fall in a grey area.

Rules state government servants and their kin should not accept expensive gifts.

According to the rules regulating foreign gifts, government servants need to inform the secretary of their department or ministry within 30 days of getting one -- the source, date and place of receipt, and approximate market value.

The recipient is entitled to retain gifts worth below Rs 5,000. And, can purchase those above this limit by paying the difference.

The value is assessed by a three-member board that includes a customs appraiser from the Foreign Post Office.

All gifts are deposited with the 'Toshakhana', under the MEA. These become state property and are displayed or used at government buildings, like Raj Bhavans.

However, conduct rules strictly bar government servants or any members of their family from accepting any gifts, other than from "relatives" and "close friends" and with whom he/she has “no official dealings” and only on “religious” occasions such as “weddings, anniversaries”, etc.

They need to inform their superiors if the price of the gift is above a specified limit, e.g. the limit for Group A officers is Rs 7,000. Sources said 'domestic' gifts fall in a ‘grey’ area and are kept by the recipient.

There is no official word on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his well-reported pinstriped monogrammed suit, that sold on Friday for over Rs 4 crore in an auction, for valuation.

Ramesh B Virani, a diamond merchant, has claimed to have donated the cloth to Modi. He has said Modi and his family have known each other for decades and even his father used to gift clothes to Modi. Virani said he had gifted the cloth when he met Modi to invite him for his son’s wedding.

Modi put up for auction as many as 455 gift items, including some from foreign dignitaries; the large majority are 'domestic' gifts.

Proceeds from the auction will go to a non-government body in Varanasi (which elected Modi to the Lok Sabha), towards cleaning of the Ganga.

Details of only the gifts that Modi got from foreign dignitaries are in the public domain.

It is a first for a PM, or a prominent politician, to auction gifts received by him.

On the face of it, Modi does not seem to have violated any rules as the pinstripe came from a "family friend" and as long as there is no quid pro quo involved.

An official said the auction was any day a better way to dispose these items than these gathering dust in some government storehouse.