IANS

New Delhi, Jul 15: Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, known for his opposition to the use of English, Wednesday asked union minister Jairam Ramesh to reply to his question in Hindi, saying this was "the Lok Sabha, not London".

Mulayam Singh had raised a query during question hour for Ramesh, the minister of state for environment and forest, on the "indiscriminate felling of trees in Lucknow and Noida".

Anticipating a reply in English from the minister, Mulayam Singh said, "You know Hindi. This is Lok Sabha, not London."

Jairam Ramesh, who looked embarrassed, said he did know Hindi and replied in the language.

However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi was not so obliging.

When she asked a question in English, Mulayam Singh, who was sitting in the front row, requested her to speak in Hindi. But Maneka Gandhi said she would decide which language the question would be asked in and had the freedom to speak in any tongue.

Earlier on Monday, Mulayam Singh had said forcing foreign languages on Indian students would cause inequality in the country.