NEW DELHI, Feb 8: Indian politics was stranded between a hawk and a turncoat on Sunday, when its chief ideologue for military solutions against terrorism, which mostly also includes Islamabad, suddenly blamed “internal help” for Mumbai’s November nightmare. The ruling Congress party, missing the message, found itself unable to row back from its politically risky standoff with Pakistan.

As senior Congress leaders continued to chart a hawkish course against Pakistan for the Nov 26 attacks, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Singh Modi, a mentor of national jingoism, hinted at an internal hand in the terror strikes.“If we single out that one incident (of Mumbai attacks) and ask any person in this country, even with basic information and knowledge they will say that such a big terror attack on India cannot take place without any internal help from the nation itself,” Mr Modi told a national meeting of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Nagpur.

“I want to know who is stopping them from taking action...This is because of vote bank politics,” Mr Modi told BJP’s National Council meeting alleging that all policies of the ruling coalition are driven by the appeasement of Indian Muslims.

The communal barb notwithstanding, Mr Modi’s claim is expected to considerably ease the pressure on Pakistan. Some analysts felt his comments were similar to the leaked findings into the Mumbai incident which Pakistan has concluded and may make public any time.

Mr Modi’s comments came three weeks after he attacked the Congress party-led coalition government for asking Pakistan to accept the statement of Ajmal Amir Kasab, lone terrorist caught alive for Mumbai attacks, as proof of what happened and how India itself “does not have a similar provision under its laws” to accept a confession made to police.

Talking of zero tolerance to terrorism, he regretted that the last few years had witnessed a series of such incidents.

Analysts said Mr Modi’s new theory on the November attacks contradicts India’s official position. India has maintained that the conspiracy was entirely plotted in Pakistan. In fact, India has supplied a dossier of “proof” to Pakistan making the same point.

“Mr Modi’s remarks, though an attempt to politicise the attacks along communal lines, is poorly timed as they have been made just 24 hours ahead of Pakistan’s reply to the 26/11 dossier of proof,” said one Indian report.

“The Pakistani establishment will look at Modi’s statement very carefully as it provides them the necessary room to evade taking direct responsibility for the 26/11 attacks.”

In New Delhi, the Congress president Sonia Gandhi issued a veiled warning to Pakistan, saying those abetting terrorism in India from across the borders will be given a “befitting reply” and they should not construe New Delhi’s “restraint” as weakness.

Describing terrorism as one of the major challenges, Ms Gandhi said:

“The recent barbaric terror attacks of Mumbai and Assam remind us of the pain we are going through. But we have no doubt that we will overcome this difficult situation.”

Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is due to hold discussions in Dhaka on Monday with the new Bangladeshi government, was expected to raise the issue of terrorism allegedly emanating from there. India has not publicly accepted Pakistani reports that a Bangladesh-based group could be involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Speaking at a conclave of Congress district and block level office-bearers in New Delhi, and evidently unmindful of Mr Modi’s latest views on Mumbai, Mr Mukherjee warned that India had kept all options open to deal with terrorism he believes emanates from Pakistan.

“Perpetrators of (Mumbai) terror attacks must be punished. Nobody should think that this country is helpless and cannot tackle the situation arising out of terrorism,” Mr Mukherjee said.

“I repeat all options are open,” he said and asserted that terrorism would be fought with “courage and fortitude”.

“This menace has to be confronted and we are exactly doing that.”

He said India had asked Pakistan to fulfil its own commitments that terrorists would not use its land.

“Don’t try to divert the attention of the international community. Take corrective measures and don’t think that you can simply shirk this responsibility,” he told Pakistan.