After Free Food, Karnataka Assembly Now Gets Recliners For Legislators

Bengaluru: Midday meals helped in getting children to attend classes in government-run and government-aided schools. The Karnataka Assembly took a page out of this book to introduce free breakfast and lunches for a healthy gathering of MLAs at the Vidhan Soudha. And now, the MLAs have got recliners for that ‘much-needed’ post lunch snooze.

On Monday, 15 recliners reached the Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru. Two, among these, are massage recliners. Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader tested one of the recliners himself and expressed satisfaction. It was the Speaker who proposed the hiring of these recliners for the budget session.

This decision to hire recliners may have led to criticism from the Opposition and left the common man on the street fuming, but Khader stood by his decision firmly. According to him, this move will help in improving attendance in the post-lunch sessions.

All for a healthy debate or two, after all!

“Earlier, MLAs and MLCs would leave for the day after lunch. Now, they can have a refreshing nap on these recliners after lunch and then return to business in the House. It was decided not to purchase recliners as they would remain unused when the Assembly is not in session. We decided to hire them instead. The supplier can take them away after each session ends,” Khader told the media.

He said that the earlier decision to serve free breakfast and lunch to the MLAs and MLCs has borne fruit. Their attendance has gone up.

“Earlier legislators were late as they had to wait for breakfast. They also had trouble getting back to the Vidhan Soudha after having lunch outside. After the in-house breakfast and lunch services, attendance has increased significantly,” Khader said.

In house breakfast and lunch services at the Vidhan Soudha are fine, but do they need to be free, the common man has been wanting know. Now, the question is how 15 recliners would be shared by the 224 MLAs and 75 MLCs of Karnataka. Will the legislators have the option to book slots or will the allotment be on the basis of a lottery?