Wooing the Parsi vote

After initiating the move to have Bombay University ban Rohinton Mistry’s novel Such A Long Journey from the second year BA syllabus over three-and-a-half years ago, Thackeray political scion Aditya told a gathering of Parsis at the Dadar Athornan Institute hall on April 6, 2014 that the Canada based author is "free to come to Bombay,” journalist Bachi Karkaria reports in the Mumbai Mirror (MM) issue of April 7, 2014.

Aditya Thackeray: ‘relationship bank’

"Copies of the book had been burnt at the University gates in September 2010” and the leader of the mob had yelled into the television cameras "the author is lucky he lives in Canada. If he were here we would burn him alive,” relates Karkaria.
A member of the audience asked Thackeray, "Do you have a rethink, would the book be reinstated on the syllabus, and could the Ontario-based Mistry revisit the city of his birth without fear of being attacked by zealous Sainiks?”
Young Thackeray replied that he had acted "only because several teachers came to me and protested about having to read out abusive words about communities.”
[Publisher and BJP supporter Maneck Davar who was present at the meeting clarified to Parsiana subsequently that Aditya noted "we (the Shiv Sena) did not ban the book. We only said don’t make it compulsory reading. Teachers approached us and said it was embarassing to read out these (critical) passages (pertaining to Bal Thackeray and the Shiv Sena). The book is available and has always been available.”]
The meeting convened to garner votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena combine candidate Rahul Shewale saw the grandson of the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray pressing "all the right buttons by evoking Dadabhai Naoroji and Pherozeshah Mehta and the unparalleled contribution to the building of the city; even pulled out the surefire sugar-in-milk cliché; was so happy that ‘Roshni aunty (Damania) and my mom had spoken about organizing this encounter, and that he was ‘not here for a vote-bank, but a relationship bank.’”
"The cheerleaders for Narendra Modi” were Davar, BJP member Shaina NC and Thackeray. Davar an active ‘Jan Sanghi’ since he was 14 spoke of Modi’s support to the Iranshah fire temple in Udvada and his offer of setting up an information centre in the Parsi Mecca.
"The suave soft-spoken Davar delivered a rally-grade, speech, ending by warning, ‘If you press the button on NOTA (none of the above), it’s a waste of your vote; and if you vote for Congress, it’s a waste of your future… (Voters now have an option on the voting machines to press NOTA — editors)
"The community had been urged to attend by Dadar Parsi Colony celeb, Parvez Damania, who spoke highly of his good friends ‘Uddhav and Rashmi’ (Aditya’s parents), adding gratuitously that they ‘loved Parsi food.’ His views on the Sena and Modi were endorsed by the builder and Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Jimmy Mistry who also lives here in a building dramatically lit and decorated with Zoroastrian iconography. Wellness expert Mickey Mehta was also passionate about the change that young and aspirational India hungered for and which only Modi could usher…
"The audience was cautioned not to be swayed this time by the Feroze Gandhi connection: Don’t say ‘Rahul (not Shewale) kétlo sweet chhè (how sweet he is).’ If you feel this way, send him a love letter but don’t vote for him…
"Aditya and Shaina met Adi and Sherna, but on April 24, 2014 Dadar Parsi Colony may still be NOTA impressed,” concluded Karkaria.