They pointed out the growing internal feuds in different units of the party and asked the high command to take immediate measures to resolve the conflicts.

The district, upazila and municipality level leaders attending the second day's pre-election meeting and Iftar party also accused some ministers and lawmakers of trying to form party committees at districts with their own men.

Party Standing Committee Member Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui expressed similar views and criticised the ministers and party lawmakers who are keeping the field level workers at a distance.

"If the ministers and the lawmakers eat up everything, what will be left for the other leaders and workers?" Tanvir questioned amid clapping from the grassroots level leaders.

Referring to party founder and late president Ziaur Rahman's "one man - one post" policy, he said: "Now the lawmakers and ministers are also serving as president of the district units of the party. Each person is holding three to five posts."

As many as 1,500 leaders of 38 districts under Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal divisions attended the last day's programme of the two-day meeting organised by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman.

BNP's senior leaders, lawmakers of the three divisions and leaders of the party's front organisations also attended the programme held at the Prodhanmontri Bhaban.

The participants in yesterday's meeting also criticised the government for the spiralling price of essentials and electricity crisis across the country.

The party's senior leaders who attended the meeting, however, gave assurance that the crisis will be resolved soon as the government has already taken various measures.

"The price of essentials will be normal in three months," LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan assured the grassroots level leaders.

Bhuiyan, also the secretary general of BNP, asked the party men to start a campaign in their respective districts to project the successes of the government. But he did not say anything about the internal conflict of the party.

Speaking at the meeting, SM Gaznavi, general secretary of Borhanuddin upazila unit of the party, said the party leaders who did not get any benefits are now aggrieved and those who have been benefited in the last four years are "acting cautiously."

"The ministers will leave the country if the party fails to win the next election, but we will have to stay and face the adverse situation," Gaznabi told the meeting.

BNP Munshiganj unit General Secretary Mujibur Rahman said, "Our ministers and senior leaders are too busy with their own affairs. They must rid themselves of such tendency."

He also came down heavily on the ministers who had once denied the existence of militant leader Bangla Bhai.

"Why did they have to deny the existence of Bangla Bhai and later issue a warrant for his against?" he questioned.

The leaders demanded the ministers think twice before making any remarks.

Abdul Wahab, convenor of Kolmakanda Thana unit BNP in Netrakona, said the party in its electoral manifesto had promised to reintroduce the upazila parshiad system, appoint ombudsman, and give autonomy to the state-run radio and television. But in reality the party seems to have drifted too far from those pledges, he added.

Syed Sarwar Alam, general secretary of Gouranadi BNP, severely criticised the government for not holding the upazila elections in accordance with the electoral pledge.

Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui said examples of other countries to rationalise the price spiral of essentials would not do any good.

Referring to behaviour of the ministers and lawmakers with the party men, Tanvir narrated his experiences. "I am a standing committee member and involved in policy-making of the party, but the deputy ministers and lawmakers do not have the courtesy to exchange pleasantries even with me," he said as the audience applauded wildly.

A total of 16 grassroots level leaders spoke at the gathering.

Tarique Rahman, who presided over the discussion, called on the party men to unite in making the party even stronger, leaving aside all feuds and disputes.

"Come and forge a rock-solid unity to come to power again," Tarique said.