Raj Thackeray, when he made his anti-Bihari remarks, had probably meant to target migrants in general. He certainly did not envisage the matter snowballing as it indeed did. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam — and a former Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP — has even registered a criminal case against him. At a time when the all-encompassing constitutional principle that every Indian has the right to earn a livelihood in any part of the country is widely understood, Raj’s remarks smack of anachronism and chauvinism.

A clue to why Raj Thackeray chose to harp on this issue comes from the results of the recent civic polls in Mumbai. Remember that the Shiv Sena had managed to retain power in the Mumbai municipality on the basis of its aggressive Marathi agenda. Raj’s outbursts indicate that he believes he and the MNS would gain electorally, if he played the Marathi Manoos card more blatantly. In the process, the Shiv Sainik in his ‘secular’ clothing stands exposed. It also betrays the man’s impatience to emerge as Bal Thackeray II as quickly and effectively as possible.