PM Modi channels poet Dushyant Kumar to hit out at Rahul Gandhi; 'Tumhare pao ke niche...'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s powerful address in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday was packed with truth-backed jabs at the opposition through iconic references to Indian poetic pieces. Hitting back at detractors as commotion ensued in the air, PM Modi responded to Rahul Gandhi’s Harvard comment and said that he believes a piece of Dushyant Kumar’s poetry is befitting for those who agree with the Congress MP’s stance.

Quoting the revered poet, the PM said, “Tumhare pao ke neeche, [Beneath your feet]” and went on to emphasize it by repeating the phrase in Hindi. “Tumhare pao ke neeche koi zameen nahi, kamaal ye hai, ki phir bhi tumhe yakeen nahi, [There is no ground beneath your feet, but the surprising thing is, you still don't want to believe it]” he said, as the Parliament broke into laughter and thumped in complete agreement. 

The poetic reference also brought a slight smile to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s face. PM Modi then proceeded to shift from a poetic to a serious note, and said that the opposition engages in baseless conversations without realizing that it is contradicting its own beliefs and stances. 

#LIVE | Not just #HarvardUniversity, all big universities of the world will conduct studies on the downfall of #Congress: #PMModi in #LokSabhahttps://t.co/HbKDYgaNDs pic.twitter.com/lDPlOCBFqv

— Republic (@republic)

What is the Harvard issue all about? 

The Prime Minister’s hard-hitting remarks came in response to Rahul Gandhi previously proposing the idea that "there should be a case study by business schools such as Harvard on the relationship between business and politics, India is a case study...the PM should get a gold medal in this.” 

In his address, PM Modi hit back at Gandhi's statement and said: "Yesterday too, Harvard University's study was talked about. In the past, Harvard had come out with a very important study. 'The rise and decline of India's congress party' is also their study. World's biggest universities will hold a study on the destruction of the Congress party."