New Delhi, March 12 The House functions strictly according to rules, and no member has the right to speak at any time or on any subject. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stated this on Thursday, a day after a resolution seeking his removal from office was defeated.
Birla said that the Chair does not belong to any individual, but is a symbol of the House's prestige.
The Lok Sabha will continue to function according to established rules and procedures, regardless of whether it is acceptable to any member, he said, emphasizing that he will conduct the proceedings with sincerity and fairness.
"No member in this House possesses any privilege to speak outside the framework of these rules," Birla said, amidst applause from the ruling side.
He expressed his gratitude to the members of the House for their faith in him during the debate. He also thanked those who spoke in favor of him as well as those who spoke against him.
"The House has been functioning according to rules and regulations, and will continue to do so in the future, regardless of whether it is acceptable to any member. I will continue to fulfill my duties with all sincerity and impartiality," he said.
Thursday was the first time Birla presided over the proceedings in the House since the opposition gave notice of no confidence against him on February 10 during the first part of the Budget session, which ended on February 13. The second part of the session began on March 9.
The speaker said that during the debate over the last two days, some members had said that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not given enough opportunities to speak, and that he should be allowed to speak whenever he wished and on any subject.
"Everyone has the right to speak in the House, but only by following the rules and regulations. No member, not even the Prime Minister or any minister, can speak without the permission of the Chair. No member of the House has the right to speak at any time or on any subject. They can only speak when the Chair allows," he said.
Birla said that MPs have the freedom of speech in the House, but they must follow the rules and regulations.
He also addressed allegations that the microphones of some members were switched off when they wanted to speak.
"I do not have a switch to turn the microphone on or off. The microphone is turned on when a member is given permission to speak by the Chair," he said.
Responding to claims that Gandhi was disallowed to table a magazine article based on the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief M M Naravane on the 2020 India-China conflict, Birla cited rulings by past speakers when members were not allowed to table documents by the Chair.
Soon after his speech, Birla adjourned the House until 2 pm.
