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Sena flavour for Mumbai snack

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena is now all set to glorify the humble vada pao, a favourite snack of Mumbaikars. Calling it the patent of the party, Sena chief Bal Thackeray said in an editorial in Saamna that the snack would be renamed “Shiv vada pao”.

In a bid to consolidate its son-of-the-soil stand, the Sena is going all out to woo vada pao vendors and unionise them.

With the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena vying for Maharashtrian loyalty, members of the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena went on the rampage here on Sunday, burning copies of Bombay Times and wrecking boards of Bombay Dyeing and the Bombay Scottish School.

The Sena demanded that all names be changed to Mumbai.

Taking up another favourite issue, the party has called for aggressive marketing of vada pao, (a fried potato mixture sandwiched between buns) and creating a brand name.

Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut recently held a vada pao festival in New Delhi which was highly appreciated. The patent for vada pao must rest with the Marathi manoos and the Sainiks should not rest until it has become a cultural movement, says the editorial.

Sanjay Gurav, president of the newly formed Maharashtra Vada Pao Vikreta Sena (Maharashtra Vada Pao Sellers Association), told The Hindu that for the past four months it had been working on organising the existing and potential vendors.

They would form self-help groups and finance themselves.

“Vada pao is the patent of the Shiv Sena. Mr. Thackeray had called on people to set up vada pao stalls way back in the 1970s. No one else can take it away from us,” Mr. Gurav said.

Jumbo King and other groups should not call their product vada pao as it was our label, he pointed out. The first union of vada pao vendors would soon spread to the whole State, he said. Only Maharashtrians would be allowed as members but help would be extended to people from across parties who wanted to set up stalls, Mr. Gurav said.

About 2,000 people have signed up to be part of the organisation, says Neelam Gorhe, Sena deputy leader.

The Jumbo King Vada Pao chain in Mumbai, started by a young couple Dheeraj and Reeta Gupta, stole a march on the Sena in 2001 with more than 40 outlets in the country.

The chain is known for its attention to cleanliness and efficiency. The Sena was reportedly in talks with Mr. Gupta of Jumbo King to help vada pao vendors with hygiene and education but nothing was finalised.

Jumbo King vada paos are available even aboard aircraft as Ms. Gorhe found to her pleasant surprise when she was flying an international carrier recently.

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Sena flavour for Mumbai snack

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