Home Minister Shivraj Patil Wednesday said the blasts in Varanasi and Delhi had a common pattern with the same modus operandi and this made it possible to guess who could have been behind the incident.

Referring to the twin blasts in the temple town of Varanasi in which at least 17 people were killed, he said the pattern of Tuesday's blasts seemed to be similar to the serial blasts in Delhi in October 2005.

• 2 blasts rock Varanasi; 20 dead

"The modus operandi also seems to be no different," he told a leading private television channel.

"That helps us to guess who is possibly behind the incident," he added.

Patil said those who were behind the Varanasi blasts were trying to divert the attention of the government by exploding bombs in different places.

Asked about the allegation of some political parties that the blasts had a Pakistan link, the minister said, "I would not like to comment on the views of any political leaders. We will have our own views. The Centre and the state government will cooperate in nabbing the culprits and bringing them before the law."

On a question if the UP government had discharged its responsibilities, he said, "The government has done their bit. The police have done their bit. The people are vigilant. We have deployed more forces."

Patil appealed to people to remain calm and ensure that there was no flare up.