New Delhi | CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby on Sunday sought to downplay the recent exchange of sharp remarks between the Congress and the CPI(M) and stress, Mar 22 (PTI) ed the need for greater unity within the opposition INDIA bloc.

During an interview with PTI Videos, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of being the "B-team of BJP".

Reacting to the comments, Baby said Vijayan was "compelled" to respond after what he described as an "uncharitable assault".

"I do not want to accentuate the verbal duel between Congress and CPI(M). What is utmost needed in India today is cooperation among political parties belonging to the INDIA bloc," Baby said.

He emphasised that the opposition alliance should evolve beyond an electoral arrangement into a broader mass movement.

"The INDIA bloc becomes active when elections come. We want it to be a people's movement," he added.

Defending Vijayan, Baby said that when Gandhi targeted the Kerala chief Minister, "he had to give back in the same coin".

Vijayan made the comments in response to a question about Gandhi's recent remarks that central agencies have arrested or called for questioning opposition leaders in the country, except the Kerala chief minister.

"Some people don't learn even if they see or experience something. They are not normal people. They are a rare phenomenon. That is something that happens to those who are normally incapable of grasping things. Rahul Gandhi falls into that category," the CM alleged.

He said Gandhi had made serious allegations against former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, but the court rejected all those accusations and gave the AAP leader a clean chit.