New Delhi, Feb. 4: AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi will go ahead with his planned visit to Mumbai on Friday despite the Shiv Sena threat to greet him with black flags.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Thursday asked his party workers to show black flags to Mr Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Mumbai on Friday. Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray questioned the timing of the visit. Mr Bal Thackeray’s black-flag instruction to Sena members comes a day after Mr Uddhav Thack-eray’s assurances that his party would not obstruct Mr Gandhi’s Mumbai visit.

Congress sources said that by protesting against the "Mumbai for all Indians" remark of the AICC general secretary, the Shiv Sena is only trying to get some "cheap publicity" by attacking the young leader.

"Rahul Gandhi’s visit was planned much ahead and is part of the usual format being followed in the IYC membership drives on in other states. Anyway, he is just not bothered about such political gimmicks," said a senior Congress functionary.

The visit becomes significant as the AICC general secretary had appointed a Maharashtra IYC leader, Mr Rajeev Satav, as president of the party’s youth wing on Wednesday. This, said sources, will help the IYC attract the youth of Mumbai and that of the rest of Maharashtra.

On Friday, the AICC general secretary will interact with around 2,500 students from around 40 different colleges at Bhaidas Hall in suburban Vile Parle. He will also meet youth from various slums areas of Mumbai at Ramabai Nagar slum colony in Ghatkopar.

The IYC membership drive for the six Lok Sabha constituencies in the Mumbai region started January 19 and will end on February 17.

A war or words has been on over the past few days between the Congress and the Shiv Sena after the latter saw an opportunity to replay its trademark chauvinistic politics in a desperate attempt to protect its dwindling vote bank.

Congress leaders said the party, which improved its performance against ally NCP in the 2009 general elections, will be further strengthened by the IYC membership drive in the Mumbai region, which will culminate with the election of office-bearers. A similar drive for the entire state of Maharashtra will be taken up later, said sources.

A communiqué sent on behalf of Mr Bal Thackeray to all party workers asks them to show black flags to Mr Rahul Gandhi at all the places he is going to visit in Mumbai. Sena spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut confirmed the orders issued by the party chief. "Balasaheb has ordered that Rahul should be greeted with black flags wherever he goes," he said.

Mr Uddhav Thackeray had said on Wednesday that the Sena had no plans to protest against Rahul during his visit to Mumbai on Friday. He had said his party would up the ante against Mr Rahul Gandhi if he did not stop talking "rubbish" about Mumbai and Maharashtra. "But that does not mean that we are going to do it immediately. We will do it only if he does not stop blabbering," Mr Uddhav Thackeray had said.

Meanwhile, the Congress is unfazed by the Sena’s planned protest and said the AICC general secretary’s visit will take place as planned.

Amit Agnihotri