Two sides to the story

Does Mumbai belong to the Maharashtrians?

The liberal approach

One line of thought is that India is a free country, so people are free to go and settle anywhere in India, without any barriers. There has been a steady influx of non-Maharashtrians into the economic capital of India, and the main reason is economical. This city gives everyone an opportunity to earn a decent living. Also, it has a cosmopolitan culture, so everyone feels at home here.

The ground realities

Maharashtrians are a minority in Mumbai, as Maharashtrians make up only 24% of the population of Mumbai.
The language spoken on the road is fast becoming Hindi. Now the average Maharashtrian has no special love for the Hindi language, but he is forced to communicate using this language in his own home.
Builders put up signs saying "Maharashtrians will not be given flats in this building!"
An advertising agency puts up an ad in the classifieds "Only people from UP, Bihar and Nepal may apply for a job here!"

Now I know that many people will say that Maharashtrians should not discriminate based on language. They should be liberal, and allow everyone to settle here in this city.
But are the people who come in to the city liberal? Do they try to mix with the culture of Maharashtra, or try to force their own culture here. They regularly make decisions based on regionalistic considerations. For example, a Mallu will give preference to another Mallu when he wants to select someone for a job. Is he being liberal when he makes this decision? NO, he is not. Of course, he is not completely wrong. He knows that there are no employment opportunities back in Kerala. So he has to help out his friends and relatives back there.
The problem is a difficult one to solve. Clearly the Sena way to solve things is not right. But then leaving things as they are might be even worse.