GUWAHATI: Assamese actress-turned-MLA, Angoorlata Deka, on Monday formally wrote to Assembly Speaker, Hitendra Nath Goswami, seeking a special room in the Assembly complex where the lawmakers, as well as women employees of the Assembly, could breastfeed their babies.
The BJP MLA, who represents Batadrava constituency in central Assam’s Nagaon district, has been in and out of the ongoing House session to breastfeed her one-month-old daughter, Namami, at her official residence which is located nearby.
“Today (Monday), I have formally written to the Assembly Speaker on the issue. He assured me that he would look into it,” Angoorlata told reporters.Earlier, she had raised the matter before parliamentary affairs minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, but he advised her to take it up with the Speaker.
“I am not seeking a special room for the benefit of my daughter. Many employees of the Assembly are probably facing the problem. Women are entitled to six months’ maternity leave but I cannot avail the facility by staying away from House proceedings as that will hamper developmental activities in my constituency,” Angoorlata said.
A room will not suffice but it has to have the facilities for kids, she insisted.
Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami told the New Indian Express that he had not yet taken a decision.
“She (Angoorlata) came to me today and submitted an application. I have called the principal secretary for a meeting to discuss the issue. But as of now, no decision has been made,” he said.
Earlier this year, Australian Senator Larissa Waters had become the first politician in her country to breast-feed on the Senate floor following last year’s introduction of new rules which allowed for babies to be breast-fed in Parliament.A graduate in humanities, Angoorlata acted in 18 Assamese feature and short films.