BANGLADESH

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Oli Ahmed has asked BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to organise sit-in programmes at 1,500 spots across the country simultaneously to remove the government from office.

"The government will be forced to quit by this sort of demonstration. The sit-in programmes will continue until the government steps down," Oli told a public meeting, also addressed by Khaleda, in Sylhet on Tuesday.

BNP-led four-party alliance organised the meeting at the city's Alia Madrasa ground after a road-march programme from Dhaka to Sylhet.

Oli said the government will be ousted by Khaleda's leadership soon.

LDP for the first time joined any public meeting organised by the four-party alliance. The party earlier announced to be with BNP in its move against the annulment of the caretaker government system.

Other LDP leaders, including Redwan Ahmed and Shahadat Hossain Selim, joined the march to Sylhet.

Oli mentioned BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's role during the Liberation War in Sylhet and said, "Sylhet was freed on Dec 14 under his leadership. [Khaleda] Zia started the programme to overthrow the government from Sylhet as she has a spiritual relationship with this city."

The opposition chief had begun her campaign for the ninth general elections from Sylhet in 2008.

BNP's ally Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) chairman Andalib Rahman Partha harshly criticised the government's alleged corruption in the power sector during his speech.

He also demanded avenging the politicians for their harassment during this government's tenure.

Partha said, "I put my demand before the opposition leader: if you come to power, shackle the digital ministers of this government just like it has harassed politicians and chained the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders."