India, Aug. 31 -- Mumbai displayed usual devotion and cohesiveness as men, women, and children chanting "Ganpati Bappa Morya" danced this week to drum beats on Ganesh Chaturthi. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his men could not dare single out the migrants among devotees and ask: "Do you speak Marathi?"

Weeks before the festival, MNS men were ransacking shops, thrashing those who failed to speak Marathi. The MNS apparently toned down the aggressive campaign after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from the poll-bound Bihar conveyed their fears about its adverse impact on their prospects and prompted the state government to come down on hooligans.

Mumbai has, for long, benevolently embraced migrants, now la...