New Delhi, Dec. 21 :    New Delhi, Dec. 21:  The Congress has refused to react to the Centre's move to virtually snap diplomatic ties with Pakistan. The CPM was critical while the BJP welcomed it as a manifestation of the government's 'determination' to retaliate against the December 13 strike on Parliament. BJP general secretary Sunil Shastri described the decision to recall the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad and downgrade the mission as a 'welcome step'. 'We are confident the government will further proceed in this regard and whatever the Prime Minister and home minister are committed to, the party stands behind it,' he said. Another general secretary, Pyarelal Khandelwal, said the move vindicated the 'trust and confidence' people had reposed in the Vajpayee government. 'It is the strongest possible message the government could have given to Pakistan in the prevailing circumstances,' he asserted. 'And if Pakistan still does not act against the terrorist outfits, the government will contemplate other steps.' BJP parliamentary party spokesman V.K. Malhotra blasted US President George W. Bush's description of the Lashkar-e-Toiba as a 'stateless sponsor of terrorism'. 'Everyone knows the Lashkar is a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist outfit and not a stateless organisation as stated by Bush. This is not acceptable to us. The group is out and out active against India,' Malhotra said. The BJP had urged the government to snap diplomatic relations with Pakistan at all the parliamentary party meetings that took place after the Thursday attack. Now, having achieved what sources claimed was the 'first victory', they said the second demand would be to stop Pakistani planes from flying over Indian airspace and vice-versa. The CPM was unhappy with the government for not taking the Opposition into confidence before taking today's decision, despite the Prime Minister's assurance to the contrary in Parliament. 'If they (the government) have authentic information about Pakistan masterminding the attack and if they had taken us into confidence, we would have supported this step. But they are aggravating tension without taking into consideration all shades of opinion,' CPM general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet said. 'The government will have to take the responsibility for the fallout of such a step.' Despite Malhotra's anti-US comments, the BJP was left red-faced today after sections of the press reported in detail about what transpired at a dinner hosted by US ambassador Robert Blackwill last night for some office-bearers and MPs. A statement issued by Shastri, one of the invitees, claimed: 'Some of the comments (in the press) are a complete distortion of what actually happened. This was a private social gathering and the exchange of views was not meant for public consumption.' 'The dinner,' he added, 'was held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere.' But a Bihar MP, who was present, said with the high command's tacit go-ahead they minced no words in telling Blackwill just how upset India was with America's 'double standards' on combating terrorism. The MP said the US envoy was initially apologetic and admitted that his country had no choice but to be 'restrained' vis-à-vis Pakistan till Osama bin Laden was captured. But at one point he also reminded them that even India had asked Israel to exercise self-restraint after a recent strike by Palestinian militants.