It is absurd to expect single rather than multiple loyalties to be the norm. And it is against the law of the land and the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution to demand such tests of loyalty. At the same time, greater competitiveness and mobility brought on in a world of shrinking borders will make citizens more vulnerable to jingoistic demands of this nature. This issue may or may not blow over but in some form or the other the outsider issue will surface. In the recent past when a former mayor was attacked in Belgaum Bal Thackeray threatened reprisal against Kannadigas in Maharashtra. A few weeks ago it was Modi’s perceived invasion into Sena territory that sent alarm bells ringing. Parochialism offers an easy resistance to change.

Mumbai-based Shah is the author of ‘Hype, Hypocrisy and Television in Urban India’

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