||Bonding with so called 'Intellectuals' # CC 23 (IO) - Page 6

SURAT: There were celebrations all round at Gotalawadi in Katargam when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mannequin donning his personalized pinstripe suit passed in an open jeep from the main road towards the Dharmanandan Diamonds Private Limited's plush factory.

Hundreds of people including the diamond workers, employees and the people from different walks of life participate in the procession shouting 'Modi, Modi' slogans. When the Modi suit arrived at the factory portico, the workers showered flower petals on the mannequin and distributed sweets.

Lalji Patel issued a cheque amounting to Rs 4,31,31,311 in the name of Clean Ganga Fund and handed it over to district collector Dr Rajender Kumar.

Patel, chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds and his managing director elder son, Hitesh Patel arrived at the art gallery of Science Centre flanked by over 300 diamond workers on the motorcycles wearing light-blue shirt and dark-blue pants and donning helmets to claim PM Modi's suit, which they won in the Friday's auction for Rs 4.31 crore.

A procession of PM Modi's suit was taken out from Science Centre at Ghod Dod road to the Dharmanandan Diamonds factory at Gotalawadi in Katargam.

Patel, while posing for his photographs with the Modi mannequin said, "It's a very proud moment for me, my family and the entire Dharmanandan diamond family including my workers and staff members. Since last evening, I was trying to touch the fabric to have a feel, but culd not as the mannequin was secured in the glass cabinet. Now, I could touch and feel the fabric and experience the presence of PM Modi standing by my side."

Hitesh Patel, managing director of Dharmanandan Diamonds said, "We could have spent more to get PM Modi's suit. This is one of the best purchases of my life when all eyes were on this suit and we won it in the auction. I remember meeting Modiji at our house 12 years ago when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He called up my father late on Friday night and congratulated us for winning his suit at the auction and thanked us for supporting the Ganga Cleanliness cause"