Following a series of devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district that have resulted in over 160 deaths and 200 injuries, former Wayanad MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with his sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, is scheduled to visit the district on Thursday.

Their visit, initially planned for Wednesday, was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. During their trip, Rahul and Priyanka will tour relief camps and a medical college to meet with affected families.

In June, after Rahul chose to retain his Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat instead of Wayanad, Priyanka was named as the Congress candidate for the Wayanad seat, marking her debut in Kerala politics. Rahul won the seat comfortably in both the 2019 and 2024 elections by substantial margins.

The Congress party in Kerala is relying heavily on Priyanka’s star power to boost its prospects in the constituency. Rahul had promised to visit Wayanad regularly and suggested that if Priyanka wins the seat in the upcoming bypoll, it would be as if the constituency had “two MPs.”

Supreme Court Verdict on Quota Sub-Classification

The Supreme Court is set to deliver a verdict on whether state governments have the authority to create sub-classifications within Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for reservations in education and public jobs. A seven-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, will announce the judgment on Thursday.

This case will address a review of the 2004 E.V. Chinnaiah judgment, which ruled that sub-classification of SCs violates the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution and that only Parliament, not state legislatures, can alter the Presidential List of SCs under Article 341.

Protests Across the Country

On Thursday, several protests will take place against state governments and the central government:

• Rajasthan: The Congress will hold demonstrations at district and block levels on August 1 and 2, criticizing the BJP government’s performance on water supply, electricity, and law and order.
• Bihar: The CPI(ML)-Liberation, part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, will escalate its ‘Haq Do, Vaada Nibhaao’ campaign against the Nitish Kumar-led government. The party is demanding financial aid, land, housing, free electricity, MSP for farmers, and youth employment.
• Kerala: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M), will conclude its five-day protest against the Union Budget 2024-25 with a demonstration outside the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram.
• Nationwide: Ahead of a tractor march on August 15, farmers’ groups will protest at district headquarters across the country, burning effigies of BJP leaders in their demand for a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for crops.