The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Embroiled former premier and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia tonight (Saturday night) predicted that her 4-party alliance would return to power with massive popular mandate provided elections are held in a free, fair and neutral manner.

Emerging from her Gulshan office at about 9:30pm, she told waiting reporters that a "deep-rooted conspiracy" is being cooked up against the country and all would have to remain alert about it.

The immediate-past Prime Minister, who has recently been

released from prison on bail from all the four graft cases filed against her amid a purge after the January 11, 2007 changeover following a political crisis over election issues, observed the country had been dragged far behind in the last two years and was now heading for a "dangerous crisis".

"People are starving for want of food. They must be saved and all must make their contribution," she told the journalists.

Khaleda said BNP is a pro-election party and wants to join the election, now provisionally set for December 18 after passing through perils in the country's political arena following the January 2007 crisis over election issues.

"We want to join the dialogue too" with the government, she said, as the caretaker government today set October 14 for the belated pre-poll dialogue with the BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.

The BNP chairperson said she allocated organizational works and future policy matters to her party leaders at today's meeting with them. "This will help foil the conspiracy that was cooked up to destroy nationalist force BNP."

Khaleda demanded solving the problems facing the peasantry and supply of agricultural inputs at affordable prices to the farmers.