Hasina returns, talks of rigging in Netrakona elections

"The voters were prevented from going to the polling centres," Hasina said.

The EC showed 62 per cent casting of votes, though the turnout was very poor, she added.

Hasina was addressing a gathering of her party leaders and activists in front of the Zia International Airport. She returned home after a 17-day trip to the USA and Canada.

Hasina in her brief speech urged people to come forward and counter the strategy of rigging adopted by the ruling coalition in the August 21 by-polls.

She said AL supporters and people from a minority community had been threatened by the ruling party men and asked not to go to the polling centres.

The AL candidate would have won if the election were free and fair, Hasina observed saying, " people have rejected the alliance government for its misrule and misdeeds".

"These ' vote thieves' have no right to remain in power any longer as they take recourse to illegal ways to cling to power," she said urging people to be united under the AL to oust the government.

Sheikh Hasina also criticised the government for alleged leakage of questions of the 24th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) preliminary test. She said results of the test were published in a very short time selecting a huge number of candidates to cover up the leakage. She asked whether the results were published from the Hawa Bhaban or the Public Service Commission.

Commenting on the celebration of birthday by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on August 15 -- when the AL observed a national mourning day marking the death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman -- Hasina said this exposed her "perverse mentality".

The AL chief meets the party presidium members today at 11:00am at her Dhanmondi residence to discuss the latest political developments.