Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, called on citizens to weigh Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25-year record in public life against the governance track record of successive Congress and CPI(M) governments in the state and at the Centre. The challenge came as Chandrasekhar formally announced the 'Seva Jyothi Yatra' — a series of rallies and outreach drives in Thiruvananthapuram and across Kerala to commemorate Modi's quarter-century in public service.

Key Developments

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to hold public meetings at 30 centres across Kerala, each followed by two-wheeler rallies involving thousands of party workers and youth members. Chandrasekhar, who also serves as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, framed the Yatra not as a celebration of Modi as an individual, but as a recognition of what he called a 'politics of service and politics of performance.'

'Let the people themselves assess which politics brought development, opportunities and change in their lives,' Chandrasekhar said at the announcement event.

Attack on Congress and CPI(M) Governance

The BJP leader drew a direct contrast between Modi's tenure — first as Chief Minister of Gujarat and subsequently as Prime Minister — and the 10 years of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule at the Centre, as well as the last 10 years of CPI(M) governance in Kerala. He argued that Modi had delivered transformative changes in economy, infrastructure, and national security, while his political rivals had presided over stagnation.

Chandrasekhar also directed sharp criticism at the 150-day-old Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala, which came to power on a platform of a 'new Kerala' and five guarantees. He alleged that citizens were instead witnessing luxury vehicles for ministers, private jet travel by the Chief Minister, power restrictions, and medicine shortages in hospitals — with the promised guarantees reportedly unfulfilled.

Allegations Over Central Scheme Benefits

The BJP leader accused the state government of failing to ensure that benefits under key Central programmes — including PM Awas Yojana, PM SHRI, and Ayushman Bharat — reached Kerala's residents. He alleged that the government's priority had instead been to secure a sixth Cabinet position for the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a charge the ruling coalition has not yet formally responded to.

BJP's Larger Political Message

'People should decide whether Kerala needs a politics that resolves people's problems and creates development and opportunities, or one that creates controversies and chaos,' Chandrasekhar said. He also expressed the BJP's support for Modi continuing in office, framing the Yatra as a public verdict exercise rather than a party celebration. This comes amid broader BJP efforts to strengthen its foothold in Kerala ahead of the next state assembly election cycle, a state where the party has historically struggled to convert support into seats.