Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked 'Avengers' to explain Rahul Gandhi's criticism of him.
Chants of 'Modi, Modi' enthused the spirit and mood of New Delhi's Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium as soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an appearance at the stage.
Dressed in his usual kurta and jacket, PM Modi thanked Rajat Sharma, editor-in-chief and chairman, India TV, for giving him a stage to present his views in front of his 130-crore audience -- in- and outside the stadium.
PM Modi soon launched into a tirade against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on his allegations of corruption against him.
Referring to China President Xi Jinping's 2014 visit to India, Rahul Gandhi had once remarked PM Modi was seemingly "scared" of the former.
To this end, PM Modi told Rajat Sharma: "Aap Kapil Sharma ke show ki script likhtey hain kya? Yeh aisi bachkaana baatein hain jo Kapil Sharma ke show ko hi shobha deti hain. [Do you write the script for Kapil Sharma's show? This tomfoolery suits his show not yours.]"
For the unversed, Kapil Sharma is a stand-up comedian and actor, and runs a TV show on an entertainment channel. He is often credited for reviving the comedy genre in TV shows in India.
And the Avengers reference.
The Avengers is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name -- which has now been developed into a series.
Rahul Gandhi had, in an election rally in Gujarat, told the audience consisting primarily of farmers: "Aapke hisse ki 6.5 lakh acre ki zameen Modi jee ne Gujarat ke udyogpatiyon mein baant di. [Your share of land amouting to 6.5 lakh acre was distributed to Gujarat industrialists by Modi jee.]"
A figure of 6.5 lakh acre was then too huge to digest for the media too.
PM Modi said, "Inn dinon maine suna hai ki koi Avenger film chal rahi hai. Aur bhinn bhinn grihon ke log ussmein shaamil hotey hain. Unhi logon ne
brahmaand ke kuchh aankdey script mein likhey hongey. Unmein se koi eik inki toli mein aa gaya hoga. Kyunki jo zameen ki size yeh bataa rahe hain woh saare brahmaand ke size se bhi zyaada hai. [I recently heard of the Avenger series. It consists of creatures from different planets. These creatures might have written some universe-related details in the script. And Rahul Gandhi might have read that. Because the size of the land he has been quoting is larger than the whole universe.]"
But why does he keep saying such things?
"Abb yeh toh unki party dekhey! [Now his party [Congress] should look into it]," PM Modi quipped.
"I waited, and waited, and waited"
So, is Rahul Gandhi scared of him? He completely denies it.
"Maine toh yeh bhi suna thha ki bhookamp aa jaayega [alluding to Rahul Gandhi's statement that if he reveals what he actually knows there would be an earthquake hitting the Parliament]. Main shaam tak sansad mein baithha. Nahin aaya [bhookamp]," PM Modi said, to a rapturous audience.
He added, "Mujhe toh achchha lagta hai ki koi mujhse itna lagaav rakhta hai ki mere hi baare mein bolta rahta hai."
"Darr achchha hai"
It is often said that Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entered mainstream politics earlier than planned due to PM Modi.
Reacting to this, PM Modi said, "Darr achchha hai."
In the run up to May 23, the day of result of Lok Sabha polls, this is probably the most historic interview of PM Modi -- where he takes on all sorts of questions - from Balakot airstrike to his personal life.
The interaction was interspersed with sounds of 'Modi, Modi' reverberating inside the gigantic stadium.
"'Modi, Modi' -- I heard these words for the first time in 2014. And these two words have now become a slogan in their entirety. This whole phenomenon is a research topic for political pundits," PM Modi said, in response to the chants.
He added, "This slogan has love, expectations and aspirations -- all coupled into one. Initially, I used to enjoy this; but with time, I have come to conclude that I need to sleep even less to fulfil all these expectations."