Patna, Oct 12: BJP Bihar President Sanjay Saraogi on Monday criticised Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s proposed march to the Supreme Court to submit a memorandum to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, calling it a “childish attempt” to put political pressure on the judiciary.

Saraogi said the alleged stone-pelting by protesters on security officials in Delhi and Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to approach the Chief Justice to submit a memorandum were unacceptable.

The remarks came amid plans by Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders to march to the Supreme Court to submit a memorandum to the CJI. However, CJI Surya Kant had declined their request.

Speaking to media, Saraogi said, “This is a childish attempt to put political pressure on the judiciary. These are immature acts. The unruly mob that pelted stones at the police and Rahul Gandhi going to the Chief Justice’s doorstep to submit a memorandum are unacceptable. The country’s Supreme Court is not a platform for political rallies.”

“If you have the courage, file a legal petition. Congress lawyers have filed petitions several times. Therefore, do not turn this into a political spectacle on the streets. The Chief Justice has already said that your case can be heard in court and that you should present your legal arguments there,” he said.

Saraogi further accused the opposition of creating chaos on the streets and attempting to put pressure on the Election Commission.

“The country is witnessing this cheap spectacle of creating chaos on the streets and putting pressure on the Election Commission. Surrounding Jantar Mantar without permission, breaking barricades and pelting stones at Akashvani Bhawan are unacceptable under any circumstances,” he said.

Referring to Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, Saraogi said their visit to the Parliament Street police station, where they allegedly demanded time and created a disturbance while claiming to maintain peace, was also objectionable.

“If they have any evidence, let them present it. This is not a one-day process. It is a process that takes 120–150 days, involving more than 35 lakh government and political party officials,” he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government is set to increase the monthly honorarium of around 60,000 village watchmen, or ‘gram praharis’, by Rs 1,000, starting October 13.

The proposed increase will raise their monthly honorarium from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500, marking a 40 per cent hike. Each village watchman will receive an additional Rs 12,000 annually following the increase.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to announce the decision during an event in Bareilly on October 13.

The Chief Minister is also scheduled to felicitate village watchmen at the Bareilly Police Lines during the programme.

The move comes after the state government raised the honorarium of cooks, Anganwadi workers and panchayat assistants in recent months. The government is now preparing to provide financial relief to village watchmen, who form an important link in the rural policing and information network.

Attached to local police stations, village watchmen relay information about suspicious activities, local disputes, and law-and-order issues to the police. They also help maintain communication between villages and police stations. They have been demanding an increase in their honorarium, and the proposed announcement is expected to address that demand.

With an estimated 60,000 village watchmen across the state, the proposed hike is expected to impose an additional financial burden of around Rs 7 crore per month and Rs 84 crore annually on the state exchequer.

Funds for the increase are likely to be provided for in a supplementary budget.

The government has taken similar decisions to increase the earnings of other categories of workers receiving an honorarium or allowance.

The monthly honorarium of around 3.53 lakh cooks preparing midday meals in government-run basic education schools has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000.

The honorarium of Anganwadi workers has been raised by Rs 4,000 per month, while that of Anganwadi helpers has been increased by Rs 2,000 per month.

Similarly, the monthly honorarium of more than 57,000 panchayat assistants has been raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000. The daily allowance of Provincial Guards (Prantiya Rakshak Dal) volunteers has also been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 600.

Separately, the government is considering increasing monthly pensions for senior citizens, destitute women and persons with disabilities from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. The proposal, which has received in-principle approval from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is likely to be placed before the state Cabinet in the second half of November.

The schemes currently cover more than 67 lakh senior citizens, 42 lakh destitute women and 12 lakh persons with disabilities. If approved, beneficiaries would receive an additional Rs 6,000 annually.

Two men, including a microfinance branch manager and a colliery employee, were killed after their motorcycle collided head-on with a Scorpio SUV on the Tamas River bridge on National Highway-30 in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar district, police said on Monday.

According to police, the tragic accident occurred around 11.30 p.m. on Sunday on the Maihar-Rewa route. The motorcycle was heading towards Rewa, while the SUV was travelling in the opposite direction towards Maihar.

The collision was so severe that the front portion of the SUV was completely damaged. The occupants of the SUV allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene, police said.

Both motorcycle riders sustained critical injuries and were taken to the Civil Hospital in Maihar with police assistance. Doctors declared them dead on arrival, following which their bodies were shifted to the hospital mortuary.

The deceased were identified as Shivam Bathre (28), a resident of Shahpura Bhitauni in Jabalpur district, and Sujit Kol (32), a resident of Mauhari village in Satna district.

“Both men sustained critical injuries in the head-on collision. They were rushed to the Civil Hospital in Maihar, where doctors declared them dead,” a police official said.

Bathre worked as a branch manager at Swatantra Micro Finance in Amarpatan and lived in rented accommodation there. He was the only son in his family and had married in 2024. His wife gave birth to a son just 15 days before the accident.

Kol was employed as a supervisor at a colliery in Ambikapur. He had been married for five years and is survived by his wife and daughter.

According to preliminary information, Bathre had visited his home in Jabalpur on leave and parked his motorcycle at Maihar railway station. While returning to Maihar by train, he met Kol. The two then set out for Amarpatan on Bathre’s motorcycle, where the accident occurred.

“The occupants of the Scorpio fled after abandoning the vehicle. We are investigating the accident, and efforts are being made to trace those involved,” a police officer said.

The vehicles involved in the accident were a motorcycle bearing registration number MP 20 X 2815 and a Scorpio SUV with registration number UP 37 F 9818.