Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “charisma” and ability to connect with audiences has always been touted as one of his biggest strengths. But ahead of the general election, the Congress leadership feels he may be falling victim to publicity overkill.

The Congress publicity committee for the general election debated the matter after the BJP announced that Modi would address a hundred rallies. Although opinion was divided, the dominant view was that the Prime Minister’s ceaseless public exposure was doomed to be counter-productive.

Many in the Congress accuse Modi of misusing his position by getting official events arranged at places where he wants to hold political rallies — a tactic that can be followed till the poll schedule is announced and the model code of conduct kicks in.

Modi did hold rallies after attending official events in states such as Punjab, Maharashtra, Manipur, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gujarat. His proposed 100 rallies are expected to cover 20 states.

While some in the Congress want the party to approach the Election Commission and raise a stink about Modi’s surrogate campaigning, the majority believe that such a protest would fall on deaf ears.

Many, however, think that the media overexposure has begun to damage Modi’s image.

“People can’t escape Modi’s images anywhere: markets, television, petrol pumps, Metro trains, railway stations…. Has there been a single newspaper any single day without a photograph of Modi?” a member of the Congress publicity committee told The Telegraph.

“No other minister is visible. You hear the same acerbic speeches, the taunts, the boasts and see only his photographs night and day. It’s a classic case of publicity overkill.”

Another committee member said: “We hear this now from ordinary people — housewives and students —that the government is all about publicity for Modi as though no one else matters. People complain that Modi has remained in campaign mode through his tenure.

Modi interacts with actor Aamir Khan during the inauguration of the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai on Saturday. (PTI)

Actor Jeetendra takes a selfie with the Prime Minister during the inauguration. (PTI)

Modi with singer Asha Bhosle. (PTI)

“Except the bhakts, people are getting bored. An RTI reply in May 2018 revealed that the (Modi) government had spent Rs 4,343.26 crore (on publicity). The figure will go up by the end of his term. What else have we seen (during his tenure) except for a verbose and colourful Modi?”

However, the Congress is not treating Modi lightly, having learnt from its past mistake. In 2014, most Congress leaders had presumed that Modi would prove a liability for the BJP because of his blotted track record and the Indian people’s perceived allergy for divisive figures.

“We can debate whether Modi’s popularity has declined, but there is no dispute over his status as the pivot of the BJP’s challenge,” said a member of the core committee that is managing the Congress’s election preparedness.

“Whether other BJP leaders have slipped into oblivion or whether the party’s MPs have become unpopular is a secondary matter. Unlike 2014, there’s no confusion in our minds that Modi is the engine of the BJP machine.

“He is their liability as well as their strength. Whether we accept it or not, the next election will be all about Modi — whether to vote him back or vote him out. (It’s not about) alternative leaders; it’s about (whether it should be) Modi or not.”

The Congress campaign too will be centred on Modi, although it will be woven around the themes of agrarian distress, economic mismanagement, joblessness and social disharmony.

Sources said that every criticism would be pinned on Modi’s failure to deliver on his lofty promises. The hope about “publicity overkill” damaging Modi too is rooted in the assumption that people are fed up with his bluster.

BJP leaders dismissed the Congress charge of overexposure against Modi. “It’s hilarious that the patient is trying to diagnose the doctor,” senior BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said.

“Congress leaders know that Rahul Gandhi is capable only of lying and his exposure invariably hurts the party. But with him, Congress leaders can’t talk freely as nothing except sycophancy is allowed. Otherwise, they would all have told him not to interact with the voters at all.”