New Delhi, June 27: Narendra Modi spoke of a "very clear message" but Subramanian Swamy got away with what sounded like a mild - and implied - rap.

The farthest the Prime Minister went by way of censuring the BJP Rajya Sabha MP was to call his recent burst of tweeted diatribes "publicity stunts".

Swamy had lately targeted Arun Jaitley's top aides in the finance ministry after orchestrating a campaign against Raghuram Rajan, the RBI governor who has since announced his decision to return to academia in September after completing his term.

Modi's gentle rebuke, following pressure from a handful of influential BJP leaders to "act" and rein in Swamy, was delivered during Frankly Speaking, an interview conducted by Arnab Goswami of Times Now and telecast today.

Goswami had recalled in detail Modi's speech at the BJP's recent Allahabad national executive where the Prime Minister had asked members and workers to stick to seven principles, including " sanyam (restraint)" and "santulan (balance)".

The question was: "Prime Minister, in Raghuram Rajan's context, your Rajya Sabha MP has made many comments. Later he made critical remarks against senior bureaucrats. My question is, do you think it is right? When we talk about restraint and balance, is it correct?"

Swamy's name was not mentioned.

Modi's reply in Hindi was: "Whether it is someone from my party or not, I believe such things are inappropriate. The nation won't benefit from such publicity stunts. One should be more responsible while conducting oneself. Anyone who believes he is bigger than the system is wrong."

The interviewer said: "That's a very clear message."

The Prime Minister nodded in agreement and replied: "I have a very clear message. I have no two minds about it."

Modi sugarcoated the controversy with praise for Rajan and his patriotism - elements that had been subjected to Swamy's vitriol.

The Prime Minister also seemed to address criticism that Rajan's exit reflected his government's failure to retain acclaimed talent by saying that the economist would always be serving the country wherever he was stationed. (See chart above)

In another mild rap to Swamy, without naming him, the Prime Minister said: "He (Rajan) is someone who loves his country. Those who speak such language (questioning his patriotism) are doing great injustice to him. My experience with him has been good. I appreciate the work he has done. And my good wishes will always be with him."

A BJP source close to Jaitley said the process of "containing" Swamy kicked in when an event commemorating the 41st anniversary of the Emergency in Mumbai yesterday was called off.

Swamy was listed as the guest of honour at the event hosted by the Maharashtra BJP. "Instead of asking him to stay away, the event was cancelled so that he (Swamy) would not make a song-and-dance about it," a Maharashtra BJP source said.

This evening, asked on Twitter whether he had been asked to skip the meeting, Swamy replied: "Nobody asked me not to participate, much less the party president."

Jaitley's return to Delhi from China last night, a day earlier than scheduled, had intensified speculation that the finance minister was "very upset" with Swamy's personal remarks against him and proposed taking the matter up with Modi.

One official explanation for the early return was that Jaitley had concluded his meetings by Sunday morning. The other was that the newest Pay Commission report - which will be placed before the Union cabinet on Wednesday - contained "anomalies" that Modi was keen to sort out with Jaitley by tomorrow.

But behind the window-dressing to project the Swamy-Jaitley saga as much ado about little lay a big dilemma before the BJP and the government.

"Swamy is the fiercest campaigner we have against the Gandhis and (Arvind) Kejriwal. He is the RSS's blue-eyed boy because he faithfully articulates their views on everything," a BJP official said.

The highlights of the Prime Minister's interview were the references to Swamy and Rajan. Goswami, the interviewer, is known for his pugnacious style and withering questions on his daily primetime show called Newshour. But Frankly Speaking, the interview-based programme on which the Prime Minister appeared, has been following a far less combative, if not deferential, format.

The interview began with Goswami expressing gratitude - after an initial customary "thank you" - to the Prime Minister.

The interviewer said: "This is your first one-to-one interview to a private news channel since you became Prime Minister. And if I am not mistaken, this is the first-ever interview by a sitting Prime Minister of India to a private television news channel in the country. So I would first like to thank you and am very grateful for the opportunity."

To which, the Prime Minister, who subsequently described himself twice as "head of the state" and not head of the government for unexplained reasons, replied: "The world of the media has grown so big that everybody has to attach themselves with it."

During the interview, the Prime Minister also said something that marched in lockstep with the "56-inch chest" image sculpted on the campaign trail.

Asked whether it worried him that wilful loan defaulters had misused the law, Modi said: "I take this as an opportunity and I will show them what the law is."