BY PC bureau
January 22, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday mounted a blistering attack on Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), declaring that political change in the state was inevitable and promising a probe into the alleged gold theft at the Sabarimala temple as part of what he called “Modi ki guarantee”.
Addressing a large rally in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of the upcoming elections, the Prime Minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would put an end to what he described as decades of corruption, misgovernance and appeasement politics under the alternating rule of the Left and the Congress.
“The upcoming elections will change Kerala’s direction,” Modi said. “So far, the people of Kerala have been given only two options—the LDF and the UDF. Both have taken turns to destroy the state. But there is a third option now: development and good governance. That option is the BJP.”
Kerala has traditionally been dominated by the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF, with power alternating between the two. However, the BJP has been steadily expanding its footprint in the state, a rise the Prime Minister linked to the party’s recent gains in the Thiruvananthapuram civic elections.
Modi accused both fronts of running what he termed a closed and self-serving system. “Different flags, same agenda,” he said. “Full corruption and zero accountability. Full communalism and zero responsibility. Governments change every five or ten years, but the system remains the same. Kerala now needs a pro-people, pro-development government, and only the BJP and the NDA can provide that.”
लाइव देखें: भारतीय जनता पार्टी संगठन पर्व। https://t.co/Oet02DapT3
— BJP (@BJP4India) January 20, 2026
Claiming that public sentiment was shifting, the Prime Minister said the aspirations of Kerala’s people were now clearly aligned with the BJP. “The trust that the people of Kerala have placed in us is historic,” he said. “The BJP’s success here is unprecedented. Thiruvananthapuram has laid the foundation for a new political future in Kerala.”
Turning to the controversy surrounding the alleged gold theft at the Sabarimala temple, Modi accused the LDF government of undermining the sanctity and traditions of one of Hinduism’s most revered shrines. He said a probe into the issue was assured under his leadership.
“The Sabarimala gold theft will be investigated—this is Modi ki guarantee,” he said, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
The Prime Minister also launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing it of betraying Kerala’s interests. He claimed that the party had lost its ideological direction. “The Congress has become more communist than the Maoists and more communal than the Muslim League,” Modi said. “We must save this sacred land from such politics.”
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Pitching the idea of a “double-engine government” in the state, Modi said Kerala would benefit significantly if the NDA came to power both at the Centre and in the state. He urged voters to give the BJP a decisive mandate for long-term change.
“Kerala needs new politics,” he said. “For the next 25 years, the BJP needs a strong mandate to build a developed Kerala. Now is the time for a ‘Viksit Keralam’. Now is the time for an NDA government.”
In a lighter moment during the rally, Modi noticed a child in the crowd holding his portrait and asked security personnel to collect it. He later asked the child to write his address on the back, assuring him that he would personally write back.
The speech marks one of the BJP’s strongest election pitches in Kerala so far, signalling the party’s intent to position itself as a serious alternative to the state’s long-standing political duopoly.
