Bengaluru, March 6 Commenting on the objections to recliner facilities at the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Speaker U. T. Khader stated on Thursday that there is nothing wrong with ensuring comfort for MLAs.
To boost MLA attendance during the Budget session, Speaker Khader proposed arranging recliner facilities for legislators.
It has been decided to rent 15 recliners initially from March 3 to 21, and they will be installed in the lobby of Vidhana Soudha.
Speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha, Khader said, "I always say, don't treat MLAs as your enemies; treat them as your friends and elders. Many senior members are part of the Assembly. After having food, if there is a one- to one-and-a-half-hour break, they need some rest. Instead of going to the Legislators' House and returning late, it is better to provide them with this facility."
"Sometimes, MLAs feel exhausted during sessions. It is our duty to address this, and as an MLA myself, I understand the challenges of sitting in the House from morning till evening. It is better to acknowledge these difficulties and provide necessary facilities," he stated.
"If you were to purchase these recliners, the total cost would not exceed Rs 4 lakh. Even the opposition leader has requested recliner facilities for their members as well. So, 10 recliners will be installed on one side and five on the other. What's wrong with spending Rs 4 lakh for the comfort of 224 MLAs during the session?" Khader questioned.
"If you politicise everything, it becomes difficult to function effectively," he added.
The step was implemented based on the feedback from the senior MLAs and observance of the trend of MLAs not returning to participate in the session once they step out from the House after lunch.
Khader has opined that the sofa-like recliners would enable MLAs to rest and after the short break, they could again participate for the remaining period of the session.
It has also been decided to avoid purchasing them as it would be a waste of money as recliners would not used all the time. Hence, it has been decided to rent them during the session and once the session ends, they will be removed from the premises.
In July 2024, during the Legislative Session, Speaker Khader installed one recliner chair and after the feedback from MLAs who expressed their happiness over the recliner facility, the decision was taken to install more recliners.
Khader also introduced breakfast, lunch, tea, coffee and snacks, considering issues faced by MLAs during the session.
Khader also called out those who came late and did not attend the session.
He has an Artificial Intelligence system to track the attendance of MLAs.
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