Even as the ministry of external affairs (MEA) downplayed US ambassador Richard Verma's remarks, advocating "free speech" in universities and colleges against the backdrop of the JNU row, parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday lashed out at foreign countries giving lessons to India on free speech.

Intervening during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha, Naidu spoke about his own experience in the United States. He said during his visit, his aide was stopped at the airport, taken away and kept in quarantine for an hour, just because he supported beard, that drew suspicion from the US authorities.

"I could not do any thing because we were outside the country," said the minister. He also challenged Americans, where many leading newspapers have also commented and criticised the Modi government attitude towards the JNU crises. He asked: "Can they hold Osama bin Laden martyrdom anniversary in any university in America?"

Earlier, the ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup downplayed the ambassador's remarks. "Where is the doubt that we do not have diversity on our campuses or the free thought in India is curtailed in any way.

Very vigorous debate that we have seen in Parliament itself is an example of diversity of thought and opinion in India," he said.

US ambassador said that diversity of "thought and speech" was one of India's great hallmarks which will "propel" it forward. He also emphasised that free speech was an issue that the Indian society will have to resolve, terming universities as "laboratories of thoughts" and identifying them as a "central tenet" that both India and the US hold dear.

Naidu as well as his ministerial colleague Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha also frowned upon former home minister P Chidambaram for his comments related to Afzal Guru. Chidambaram in an interview had said, it was possible to hold an opinion that Guru's case was not perhaps not correctly decided. Jaitely asked Congress not to give respectability to anti-India protests.

Naidu in Lok Sabha said, no body has right to hold this opinion and create dissatisfaction among people.