Guwahati/IBNS: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday sparked a row with his comments on the ‘appropriate’ age for motherhood while speaking on mother and infant mortality rates.

According to an HT report, addressing an event in Guwahati, Sarma said: “For women, the best time to become a mother is between 22 to 30 years of age. If the women follow this, it’ll be good, for them and the child,” Sarma said while suggesting “women aged near 30 to get married soon”.

Sarma was elaborating on the Assam government’s efforts to bring down the mortality rate among infants and mothers in the state.

The CM felt that early marriage and pregnancy before the proper age is “one of the reasons” for the high rate of mother and infant deaths.

“But at the same time, I would suggest women to become mothers before 30. Late pregnancy also brings complications,” he said.

He said the government is taking legal action against those forcing minor girls to bear children.

“We have been speaking against early motherhood. But at the same time, women should not wait too long either as many do ... God has created our bodies in a manner that there is an appropriate age for everything,” he said.

Last week, the Assam cabinet took a decision to charge men who marry girls under the age of 14 years under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

Men, who marry in the age group of 14-18 years, will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.