While the main premises were locked, the protesters tore some party banners and defaced Gandhi’s photos near the main entrance of the building. A few hours later, a clash broke out between BJP and Congress workers outside the building after BJP youth wing members arrived there to protest. Five Congress workers were subsequently arrested.

Gandhi is scheduled to meet the family members of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat in the recent past, including the Rajkot game zone fire, the boat capsize incident in Vadodara, and the Morbi bridge collapse.

In context: Out of power in Gujarat for more than two decades, the Congress has struggled to find a foothold in the state in the face of the BJP’s all-powerful presence. Though the results of the 2017 state elections appeared to give the party hope, the Assembly elections last year, in which the BJP won a record victory, and the recent Lok Sabha poll results have put paid to those hopes. However, the Congress managed to win its first Lok Sabha seat in the state for the first time in a decade and provided some respite to the party, which will now have to find ways of getting back into the thick of things in Gujarat politics. What the messaging will be at these meetings and how the Congress cadre in the state will move forward will be closely watched.

Naidu and Revanth to meet

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy will meet in Hyderabad on Saturday to resolve pending issues related to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Ten years after the bifurcation that led to the birth of Telangana, several issues such as the division of assets, state-run institutions, power bill dues, and the transfer of leftover employees to their native states remain unresolved. Hyderabad ceased to be the common capital for both states from June 2 this year as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Andhra Pradesh does not have an official capital at the moment.

Developing Amaravati was Naidu’s pet project after he took over in 2014. However, in 2019, the development of this city, named after Andhra Pradesh’s Buddhist heritage, came to a halt after Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy spearheaded the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) to a landslide victory in the state Assembly polls. After taking charge as the CM, Jagan floated the three capitals idea: Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, Amaravati as the legislative capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital. He stalled all construction projects in Amaravati.

With the TDP storming back to power, Amaravati has seen a revival, marked by construction and a real estate boom. In his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Naidu also sought “comprehensive financial support” for the capital city.

Revanth spent a long time in Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party before joining the Congress in 2017 and is known to share a cordial relationship with the Andhra CM.

NEET panel suggestions

The Centre’s high-level panel on examination reforms has sought suggestions and feedback from stakeholders, including students and parents, till Saturday, according to Ministry of Education officials. The Suggestions can be submitted on the “My Gov” platform.

Amid a raging row on alleged irregularities in exams, the panel headed by former ISRO chief R Radhakrishnan has been tasked with providing recommendations on reforms in the examination process, enhancing data security protocols, and reviewing the structure and operations of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

— With PTI inputs