Kolkata: The CPI(M) on Thursday called upon all secular and democratic forces to dislodge the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

“In West Bengal, ‘Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao, (Defeat Modi, Save Country) and TMC Hatao, Bengal Bachao’ will remain our stand," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Thursday.

When the elections will near "appropriate electoral tactics will be adopted with the objective of maximising pooling of anti-BJP votes,” Yechury told a press meet here.

“We will ask all secular, democratic forces to ensure the BJP government is defeated whenever the general election takes place,” he said.

He said ousting the BJP from power in Delhi and TMC in Bengal was necessary  “as their agendas overlap to a great extent”.

Hinting at the alleged nexus between the BJP and TMC, he said, “There are certain questions that remained unanswered like the RSS’ claim to have reached 90 per cent areas of the state and why the central government does not proceed with Sarada, Narada, Rose valley cases?”

Asked about sharing the stage with non-BJP leaders including Mamata Banerjee at H.D. Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Mr Yechury said it was not his decision and he was there to honour an invite sent by the host.

“If you are in a rail compartment with someone also sitting there, you can’t ask why that person is also there,” the veteran leader said.