CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury visited Jharkhand on January 12,  2019 and met RJD Leader Lalu Prasad Yadav at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi. After meeting him, Sitaram addressed a press conference at the state Party office in Ranchi. Yechury told the media that the CPI(M) would try to consolidate anti-BJP votes to establish an alternative secular government both at the centre and in Jharkhand.

He welcomed the BSP-SP tie up in Uttar Pradesh and said, it would consolidate the opposition votes against the BJP. He said CPI(M) is for state specific alliances, but added that the Party wanted more Left representation in parliament. Our policy is ‘Neta nahin niti chahiye’ (we want policies not leaders). He pointed out that Morarji Desai, P V Narsimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were chosen as prime ministers only after elections. Naming a leader before elections was not the priority now, he added, placing more importance on ideology instead and on the alternative.

He said, while stressing the need to prevent division of votes, it is our top priority to achieve the goal of throwing out the BJP from power at the centre and Trinamool Congress from West Bengal. The CPI(M) leader said, alliance at the national level will crystallise only after the general election. 57 Left MPs out of the 61 elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 had entered parliament defeating Congress candidates and still we supported the UPA 1. He said the wind for change is blowing as the Narendra Modi government has caused immense frustration amongst the people. The Modi government is destroying institutions like CBI, RBI to hide corruption cases which were done during his regime. He said, the removal of CBI chief Alok Verma was against the principle of natural justice. He said the BJP was trying to make Sabarimala, the Ayodhya of the south but would not succeed in Kerala.