Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday defended the functioning of the House and rejected allegations by the Opposition MPs that their voices were being suppressed. He asserted that every member — including the Leader of the Opposition — had the right to speak only in accordance with the established rules and procedures, emphasising that no individual was above the authority of the House.Speaking in the House after resuming chairman-ship of the Lok Sabha after the fall of motion against him, Birla said the parliamentary system functioned strictly according to the rules of procedure and conduct of business, which apply equally to all MPs regardless of their position.“Whether it is the Leader of the House, Leader of the Opposition, a minister or any other member, everyone can speak only as per the rules and procedures of the House,” he said, adding that no member enjoyed any special privilege to speak on any subject at any time.The Speaker noted that the rules governing parliamentary proceedings were framed by the House itself and were neither controlled by the government nor the Opposition.Responding to allegations that microphones of the Opposition members were switched off by the Chair, Birla said, “I would like to clarify once again that the Chair does not have any button to switch microphones on or off. The system in the House activates the microphone only of the member who has been granted permission to speak.”The Speaker also addressed the row over protests by women MPs from the Opposition benches, stating that some members had carried placards and created a ruckus near the treasury benches, forcing him to take steps to protect the dignity of Parliament. He maintained that suspensions were only imposed when members violated parliamentary rules.Birla strongly criticised disruptive behaviour in the House, stating that slogan-shouting, displaying placards, tearing papers and approaching the Well of the House were contrary to the established parliamentary traditions.He pointed out that when the Opposition submitted a notice seeking his removal from the Speaker’s post, he stayed away from the proceedings of the House to maintain the dignity of the Chair.Thanking both supporters and critics for participating in the debate on the motion against him, the Speaker reiterated his commitment to ensuring that parliamentary proceedings remained fair, impartial and were governed strictly by established rules. He stressed that the House ultimately represents the will of 1.4 billion Indians and must function with discipline and respect for procedure.