In Rahul’s Amethi, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas greeted with black flags

Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas, set to hold a mega rally today in Rahul Gandhi's constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, was greeted with black flags, heckling and sloganeering as his cavalcade made its way through the Jagdishpur area en route to Amethi.

As police tried to control the scores of protestors who had gathered along the highway, some men wielding slippers and black flags told the Times Now news television channel that they will oppose Kumar Vishwas for his comments on Islam and on a Muharram procession.

Kumar Vishwas has found his way into the headlines rather early on in his political career, with the controversy over his comment about a Muharram procession refusing to die down.

On Saturday, at a press conference in Lucknow, Vishwas was heckled and had an egg thrown at him by an angry Muslim youth.

The young man, who identified himself as Saif Zafri, was overpowered by Aam Aadmi Party activists and handed over to police. Zafri identified himself as a member of the Mulayam Youth Brigade and belongs to Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. He was apparently angry at Vishwas's reported comments on Islam and a Muharram procession.

Vishwas is likely to contest from Amethi in 2014. Image courtesy: Ibnlive

Meanwhile, an old Youtube video has also surfaced and was being shared on micro-blogging site Twitter, showing Vishwas making statements referring to BJP's Narendra Modi, who is present at the event, as akin to Lord Shiva who drinks poison.

After the incident at his press conference, Vishwas said he would not be cowed down.

Earlier on Sunday morning, Vishwas told TV channels that the people of Amethi may overthrow the dynastic rule of the Gandhi family. The high-profile constituency, represented by Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the past, has turned a hub of political activity ever since Kumar Vishwas announced his intention to hold a rally in the town, to be called the 'Jan Vishwas' rally.

At a press conference earlier, Vishwas was quoted as saying he won't be frightened by the scale of his battle. "I am going to Amethi tomorrow and if not called to Delhi in connection with some work, I will return only after Lok Sabha elections," the 43-year-old poet-turned-politician was quoted as saying in NDTV.