New Delhi, October 10: In his address to the booth-level BJP workers preparing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his party cadres need to combat the Congress' "divisive agenda" with the message of "unity, peace, harmony and development".

Modi said the Opposition is attempting to pit one caste against another to reap electoral gains. "Now elections are due in 5 states. We all need to be careful. The Opposition wants to divide India...they will go to any extent for winning," the Prime Minister said. ‘BJP Works for Few Rich, Congress Thinks of Poor’: Rahul Gandhi Fires Salvo at PM Modi.

Tagging the Congress as the "most divisive party" of the nation, Modi accused the party of pushing the Andhra region into an unprecedented violence in 2014.

"(Former PM) Atal ji's tenure witnessed bifurcation of three states. But not a single incident of violence was reported. But under the Congress rule, people speaking the same language were turned into enemies," he said, referring to the riots which ensued in bordering regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana when the latter was carved out into a new state.

Modi said the Opposition cannot electorally outperform the BJP, but resort to "unholy alliances" to keep the party out of power.

Calling the Mahagathbandhan a "failed idea", the Prime Minister added, "These parties constantly bicker with each other but come together when there's an opportunity to form govt like we saw in Karnataka. Similar efforts are underway in UP and MP. BJP workers need to make people aware of the background of these leaders."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 10, 2018 05:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).