Indian National Congress (INC) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) from Jorhat Gaurav Gogoi expressed his disagreement with Infosys Co-founder Narayana Murthy's perspective on work-life balance today, Wednesday, December 4, saying his perspective stems from a luxury traditionally enjoyed by men,
He added that this is a notion that one "has to forego in the modern world,” Times of India reports
Reposting an open letter by journalist Nidhi Razdan disagreeing with Murthy’s views, elaborating what “no work-life balance” means for women, the Congress leader wrote, “After all what is life but looking after your children, cooking for them, teaching them, taking care of your elderly parents, being there for your friends in their times of need, making sure that your house in order.”
He says that these are as much a man’s job as they are a woman’s and writes, “Traditionally working women don’t even have the choice to cut away life from work. It is a luxury that traditionally men have and one that they have to forego in the modern world.”
Narayana Murthy argued for a 70-hour workweek at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit in November this year, citing its importance to India's economic growth.
He even admitted that he was disappointed when India moved from a six-day work week to a five-day work week.
Narayana Murthy first made these comments in January this year, claiming that he used to work 85-90 hours a week. His statement, "I don't believe in work-life balance," sparked extensive discussion on the subject.