Birla returned to the chair and said the rules are the same for all and opposition leaders will not get special privileges

New Delhi: A day after a no-confidence vote against him was rejected, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla resumed his duties and asserted that he will abide by the rules and not allow any member, including the opposition leader, to receive special treatment.“Some members feel that it is their prerogative that the Leader of the Opposition can stand up and speak on any issue of their choice at any time. I would like to clarify that the House functions according to the rules laid down by the House itself. These rules apply to every member equally,” said a confident Birla, who denied the charge – the main reason for the Congress-led motion against him – and did not let Rahul Gandhi speak.He rejected accusations of being unfair to the opposition and turned off his microphone when they spoke. “I want to clarify again that the chair does not have any button to turn the microphone on or off. The system in the House only activates the microphone of members who have been given permission to speak,” he said.Birla’s statement comes a day after Home Minister Amit Shah and other speakers from the National Democratic Alliance turned the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Speaker into a debate on Gandhi’s alleged sense of entitlement and the resulting expectation of privileged treatment.All members have equal status, the Speaker said, as Shah and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and others looked on. “Every member comes here with a responsibility to raise the concerns of the people and realize their hopes and expectations.”Birla has said he was informed of opposition plans to have female lawmakers surround Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month when Modi was scheduled to participate in a debate on a motion of thanks to the president, a move that angered Congress but denied he showed disrespect to the women. “I have always had the highest respect for all female MPs. I have always worked hard to ensure that every female MP has the opportunity to speak on the House floor. During my tenure, every female member, including those joining for the first time, has had the opportunity to express their views. “He also denied that opposition members were not given enough speaking time. Instead, opposition members often get more time in debates than they are allotted. “I often extend debates and zero hours so that more members can express their views.”Birla, however, was determined not to allow sloganeering, display of placards, tearing and throwing of documents and entry into the well of the House, saying such actions were not conducive to the smooth functioning of Parliament. “In a democracy, disagreement and heated debate are natural, but there is a clear line between democratic discourse and chaos.”After it ended, Congress MP KC Venugopal once again raised the issue of the notice issued by the LoP seeking permission to speak on the LPG crisis. The Speaker told him that he had informed the relevant government ministers and that Parliament would allow the issue to be raised once he appeared in the House.