Hasina asks for snap polls

"We want election immediately because this government must go. We will launch a massive movement with various programmes to topple this government," she told newsmen at Hotel Agrabad yesterday evening.

But the mid-term election must be free and fair, Hasina said categorically.

However, she did not specify any timeframe for the mid-term polls.

The Al chief also said the structure of the caretaker government has to be overhauled before the election.

"We will make some proposals on ways to improve the caretaker government system so that it can play an impartial role," the former prime minister said. "The caretaker government during the 2001 elections was biased..."

"We secured fewer number of seats despite bagging higher percentage of vote as a 'ghost-rigging' took place," the opposition leader added.

She said the AL would not join the parliament session beginning today, as she said, parliamentary procedures and rules were not followed in dealing with the opposition.

"We are not allowed to exercise our democratic rights and even to talk. We face rude behaviours there," she said.

The AL chief also called for scrapping of the recent agreement with the US that gave immunity to US soldiers from trial in Bangladesh. "It is an act of sedition because such a treaty can never signed by violating constitutional norms."

Replying to a question on the nomination of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for the post of OIC Secretary General, Hasina said his nomination was an act of betrayal to the martyrs of the liberation war.

She was also critical of the prime minister's son Tareque Rahman for his alleged involvement in corruption.

Regarding gas export, she said, "We were against it while in power as we can export it only after fulfilling our requirement."

Earlier, addressing a rally at the historic Laldighi Maidan, she alleged that business magnate and BNP leader Jamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury was kidnapped by none other than the ruling BNP godfathers.

"Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has become a godmother and she has 70 godfathers who are involved in the abduction of Jamal. That's why Jamal has not been rescued as yet."

The former prime minister said she wanted to visit Jamal' family but thought better of it after the family members quoting the abductors as saying that Jamal would be killed should she visit them.

She said the ruling coalition of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami has recently launched the 'abduction business' in the port city. Hasina wondered why Jamal has not been rescued even 48 days after his kidnap despite assurances by three ministers.

In the morning, she visited the family members of slain AL leaders Faruk Mahmud Siddiquee in Quaish Burishchar area, Ajit Talukder in Hathazari and Chittagong University Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Golam Mortaza in Fatehabad under Hathazari thana.

The opposition leader is scheduled to leave for Dhaka this morning.