CHENNAI: CPI state secretary R Mutharasan on Monday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dividing people on religious lines to get their votes to win the election for the third time.

In a statement, he said that Modi, who is well aware that the first two phases of elections are not in his favour, is in a state of being unable to bear defeat, completely forgetting that he is the Prime Minister and making low-level remarks.

"In his greed to become the Prime Minister for the third time, he is trying to get votes by dividing the people of the country on religious lines. We strongly condemn it, " he said.

He said that even though various political parties, general public, scholars and the media have expressed their strong condemnation for his communal campaigning, the Prime Minister continues to carry out his divisive campaigning.

"What Prime Minister Modi is doing is not an election campaign, but an anti-national act of dividing people on religious lines and dividing the country, " he added.

"The election results will ensure that all the people of the country will unitedly defeat the petty act of the Prime Minister, which sends the fundamental characteristics of the Constitution, secularism and democracy to the grave, and will win a great victory in protecting the unity and integrity of the country, " he said.