In its new avatar, the Sena claims it has no problems with non-Maharashtrian settlers who had come to the city before 1995. In fact, it’s calling on older Mumbaikars including the very groups (like the Tamils, Biharis and UPites) it had targeted so viciously in the past to oppose the "new migrants" and "save the city". But as the Sena desperately tries to go national, balancing both the "Hindutva" and "sons of the soil" hats will be a tricky task. Uddhav’s sidelined cousin Raj has asked Sainiks to boycott north Indian hawkers in the city. And last week, the Sena union, the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti, attacked an Indian Airlines office because few Maharashtrians had made it through the recruitment interviews. The double game won’t be easy.
By Priyanka Kakodkar
