New Delhi: Kerala MP John Brittas, who represents the CPM, called for de-escalation of India’s ongoing tensions with Pakistan while attending the all-party meeting held here on Thursday. Speaking to ANI, Brittas said that his party appealed to the central government to refrain from taking any steps that might escalate the situation.

“All the political parties expressed their profound support for the actions of our armed forces. We are also committed to supporting the government in any steps to counter terror. At the same time, we also said that there shouldn't be any steps to escalate the situation,” Brittas said.

“We underlined the statement made by the Raksha Mantri that the intended objective has been achieved. On behalf of my party, the CPM, I said that as a mature democracy, we should also try to de-escalate the situation. Hapless civilians in Jammu and Kashmir should be protected,” he added.

Meanwhile, he expressed strong disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence from the all-party meeting. He said the opposition raised two key demands during the meeting — first, that the Prime Minister should convene an all-party meeting and brief leaders on the situation, and second, that a special session of Parliament should be convened immediately. The Left MP added that a special session of the House would send a strong message to the nation that the country is united.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised the Prime Minister for not attending the all-party meeting.

Kharge said that all parties of the INDIA bloc, as well as others, spoke in one voice, saying, "You move ahead, and we are with you in the decisions you take and stand with the Army."

The government briefed the all-party meeting on Thursday regarding the success of Operation Sindoor and its aftermath, as top government functionaries and opposition leaders met for the second time in a fortnight amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, JP Nadda, and Nirmala Sitharaman represented the government. From the opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, and TR Baalu of the DMK were among the key leaders in attendance.