'Modi jacket' sales register fall in Aurangabad district

Aurangabad: The popularity of the 'Modi jacket', a rage during the 2014 elections, is on the wane, with orders of the apparel recording a drastic fall, garments traders in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra said Tuesday.

The 'Modi jacket' is a half-sleeve coat often worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A local trader said there was a time when around 35 such jackets used to be sold from his outlet per day. Now the number is down to one per week, he added. Another city businessman Gurvinder Singh said factors like the GST, demonetisation and drought-like situation in the state have impacted the sale of these jackets, like all other apparels.

Many traders in Gulmandi, Tilak Path, Aurangpura, Sarafa, Osmapura and Cidco areas here echo similar views.

Cloth merchant Rajedra Bhawsar, who used to keep a stock of these jackets along with other readymade ethnic wear, says since since the last one year not more than 10 pieces were sold from his outlet. "I now face a problem as the unsold stock is more and I invested a big amount, but there is no profit," he said.

Local tailor Dilip Lokhande, popular as Haroon Master, says with summer just around the corner, people are now showing more interest in khadi, linen and cotton shirts.