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Shyam Bhatia, in London
Following a barbed exchange with Queen Elizabeth's husband, a British parliamentarian of Indian origin has become the talk of London.
Parmjit Dhanda (31), Labour Party Member of Parliament for Gloucester, was attending a reception at the Buckingham Palace when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, accosted him. Famous for his brash language, the Prince had once commented on an Indian carpenter having done a badly finished piece of woodwork.
When the British royal asked Dhanda about his profession before entering parliament, Dhanda politely explained that he had been a student and a trade union official. He was thereafter selected to fight and win the Gloucester seat on his party's behalf. Unimpressed by Dhanda's credentials, Philip rudely said, "You didn't do anything then."
Dhanda is not known for taking provocations calmly. The young parliamentarian shot back, "What did you do before becoming the Duke of Edinburgh?" Unaccustomed to comebacks, the surprised Philip said, "I served in the Royal Navy during the war." Philip then followed his reply with a two-fingered response that doesn't mean V for victory.
Dhanda's has been restrained in his account. "He pointed one finger up and said, 'there you go', patting me on the shoulder," Dhanda said, adding that the Prince had a smile on his face.
A spokesman for the Buckingham Palace said, "The Queen's husband will not make V signs to anyone."
Dhanda was an assistant national organiser for the IT union connect before becoming an MP in June 2001.
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