Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday told a journalist, "Who said you can't say 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'?", when she questioned his speech, saying it was the first time that a Speaker began and ended his speech with 'Vande Mataram' slogan. Earlier, Birla had said that he would not allow chanting of religious slogans in Parliament.