The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League leadership yesterday urged the caretaker government to hand over power to an elected government before the situation spins out of control.

"The seeds of a movement have already been sown with programmes like hunger strike and a signature campaign. We don't want to take to the street to realise our demand. So, the government should take pragmatic steps for holding the stalled general election as soon as possible," AL presidium member Tofael Ahmed said at the party's Bangabandhu Avenue central office.

He was talking to party workers at a token-hunger strike staged by Awami Mohila League, the women front of AL, to press their demand for unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina. The hunger strike started in the morning and ended in the afternoon with fruit juice offered by Tofael Ahmed.

Tofael said there is a doubt in public mind whether the stalled elections would be held as per the announced roadmap as time is running out fast and an immediate announcement of the election schedule can only remove the confusion over the elections.

Speaking on the occasion, party senior presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury demanded release of detained party chief Sheikh Hasina before the historic Mujibnagar Day on April 17.

She said the government should immediately hand over power to an elected government through holding the elections after withdrawing the ongoing state of emergency.

Another presidium member Abdur Razzak criticised the government for its failure to control the skyrocketing prices of daily essentials and asked the government to take effective initiatives to control the price hike.

Suranjit Sengupta, another presidium member, said the country is now passing through a crucial time and there could be a mass upsurge as people are getting impatient with the price spiral.

Another presidium member Begum Matia Chowdhury asked the government to hold the general election without resorting to any dillydallying tactics and said all the tactics so far played by the government have been proved futile.