Mumbai: The winter session of Maharashtra’s assembly started on an expectedly stormy note Monday, with legislators from the Opposition agitating against the ruling coalition on the steps of Nagpur’s Vidhan Bhavan, and ruling party MLAs giving media bytes rubbishing their allegations on issues such as the Maharashtra-Karnataka border row.
In all the melee, the centre of attention, however, was not anyone from among the verbose politicians, but a 2.5-month-old baby boy, Prashansak, wrapped in a soft yellow blanket with a hoodie, sleeping peacefully in the arms of his MLA mother.
Saroj Ahire, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Deolali, had traveled to Nagpur to attend the winter session despite being in the postpartum phase, following delivery in September, and “exclusively breastfeeding her baby”.
As she couldn’t leave her infant behind, Ahire said she had traveled the 650-odd kilometres, from Deolali to Nagpur, with her baby.
“I had to come because I owe that much to the people of my constituency. As their representative, I am expected to raise issues of roads, water and employment,” 40-year-old Ahire told ThePrint. She said, she wants to especially raise a demand to expand the capacity of the Eklahare thermal power plant in her constituency, to create more jobs.
“It was a tiring day, but I hope to attend as much of the session as possible,” added Ahire who attended the first day of the legislative session in a prim maroon saree with a stiff grey border, her hair tied back neatly in a clasp.
The MLA’s dedication was applauded by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who said it was probably the first time an MLA in the postpartum phase, had attended the Maharashtra assembly session, while meeting her motherly responsibilities.
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Interviews, house session, breastfeeding
Ahire traveled to Nagpur by road and reached the night before the assembly session was scheduled to begin. By morning, both mother and son had a slight cough and cold because of Nagpur’s relatively harsh winter, Ahire told ThePrint.
Ahire’s husband, Dr. Pravin Wagh, and her mother-in-law, also accompanied her to the state legislative so that the new mother could seamlessly get into her politician garb and focus on her work.
“When I reached, all eyes and cameras focused on me and the first hour went in giving media interviews. I did not mind because they were all supportive of me,” Ahire said.
The MLA left her baby in the ladies common room when she had to sit inside the lower house. “Within half-an-hour, the house was adjourned. It was just in time, because by then my personal assistant came to inform me that Prashansak was crying and was probably hungry,” Ahire said.
“I fed him in the common room. I was told that the Vidhan Bhavan does have a ‘Hirkani kaksha’ (baby care cell), but I didn’t have the time to find it today. I will do that tomorrow, and if it is lacking basics like a changing table, a bed for the baby and mother to rest and so on, I will raise it in the house,” she added.
Hirkani was a milkmaid in the Maratha empire under Chhatrapati Shivaji, who after the gates of Raigad shut down for the day, climbed down a steep cliff to reach her baby back home.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde invited Ahire and her family members to his chambers and praised her for attending the session despite being a new mother.
“It is definitely challenging to be a public representative inside the house and make laws and bear the responsibility of being a mother outside of it. To ably fulfill both responsibilities is a unique honour to both duty and motherhood,” a statement from the CM’s office quoted Shinde as saying.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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