A little over a month after PM Narendra Modi visited Australia, the Gujarat effect doesn't seem to be wearing off Down Under. At least that's what Adelaide's burger chain, Burger Addiction's (BA) recent inclusion of a vegetarian burger Jai Jai Gujarat suggests.

The vegetarian entrant, which the menu calls, "A medley of roasted vegetables with western Indian spices with chipotle aioli, sliced tomato and mesclun greens," already has two other entries for company.

"We had Champion Champignon (pureed sauteed mushroom and oat patty topped with sliced tomato, mesclun greens and pesto aioli) and Woodstock (spiced felafel patty topped with hummus, julienne cucumber, carrot, sliced tomato, mesclun greens and roasted garlic aioli), and these are favourites with most vegetarians, but we felt the significantly large number of Indian vegetarians still kept looking for options which would suit their palate... that's how the new dish came about," explains Kate William from BA's sales team.

She said it had turned out to be a fast moving item on the menu even among non-vegetarians. "Novelty seems to be at work here," she smiles and adds, "Actual trends will only emerge after a while once the product has established itself," about the AUD 9 (Rs468) burger.

While many link this to the Indian premiere's visit, William is unwilling to make any political comment. "Decisions like these are commercial and not dictated by emotional or political compulsions," she adds.

Others, one among them Ravi Iyengar, a software expert with an IT solutions major who is actively involved with the Australian South Asian Federation, disagrees. "Indians have always been here but the consolidation that was caused by PM Modi's visit hasn't gone unnoticed. Businesses want profit. If it means tweaking menus to tickle palates, then they are just playing ball," he says.

However, mental health practitioner Frankey Fernandes insists, "Modiphiles are unnecessarily linking their mascot with a business decision. The engineered crowds at his dos can't translate into sales." He was also sceptical of how "Indian" a burger like that would taste.

The new introduction has left Adelaide homemaker and mother of two Mohana Dhoble-Kannan quite happy. Though married to a Tamil Brahmin and "compulsively non-vegetarian", she's glad with BA's new inclusion. "We're having a get-together soon near Rundle Mall and my strictly vegetarian friends were worried about what to eat. Sandwiches and salads still don't qualify as lunch for most Indians, including me. Now, this new burger offers an option," she says.

Behind her the salesgirl calls out to the next customer: "One Jai Jai Gujarat, fries and a small coke!"

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PM Narendra Modi effect on burgers Down Under