Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat offered regrets for stating that the Parsis came to India "to loot the country.” He made the remarked during the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University graduation ceremony in Surat on April 7 this year. Several Parsis across the state sent emails to the Prime Minister and chief minister of Gujarat demanding the governor express his regrets for the comment.
Zoroastrian representative on the National Commission for Minorities Kersi Deboo expressed regrets and claimed the remarks were "a slip of the tongue. He was talking about invaders who came from Afghanistan and Britain. The word ‘Parsi’ was mentioned by mistake. He is an educated person. What he wanted to say was that invaders could loot the country because Indians were not united. He has great regard for Parsis,” according to The Free Press Journal of April 13.
Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat
"Local media reported that Devvrat has regretted the remarks. He said he had no intention of hurting anyone’s feelings and that he has deep faith and respect for the Parsi community.” Appreciating the historical, cultural and social heritage of the Parsi community Devvrat said the community has created a unique identity through its peaceful nature and contribution to the country’s progress, the newspaper reported.
The Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairman Viraf Mehta stated the governor’s allegation was "a very irresponsible statement” and said it did not appear to be a slip of the tongue.