Awami League President Sheikh Hasina speaks before a vast crowd at a public meeting at Paltan Maidan yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Main opposition Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday gave the government a month to fulfil her party's 15-point demands or step aside.

"Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her government will have to resign if it fails to fulfil the demands by February 10," Hasina announced amid deafening cheers and occasional slogans from a gathering of tens of thousands of people who thronged the city's Paltan Maidan and its adjacent areas.

The demands include an end to violence unleashed by the ruling alliance loyalists and also to corruption, nepotism and politicisation.

Spelling out the list of demands, the AL chief also called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal on February 12 if the BNP-led coalition government fails to meet those demands.

Hasina also announced a month-long agitation programme in favour of the 15-point demands. The party will exchange opinions with different professional groups from January 11 to 16.

On January 18, the AL will stage demonstrations across the country, rallies and processions at districts from January 21 to 23, and at thanas from January 27 to 29. From February 7 to 9, the party will conduct mass contact programmes across the country and hold demonstrations on February 11.

She also demanded closing down of the 'Hawa Bhaban', alternative power centre of the BNP, and termed it a centre of all corrupt practices. The AL president alleged that Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her sons 'grabbed all businesses' and amassed crores of taka through corruption and smuggled it abroad. She promised to realise all the money looted at an appropriate time.

The AL demands also include a halt to criminal activities and corruption, providing security to public life, a cut in cost of living, return of the public money accumulated through corruption, expulsion of war criminals from the cabinet, lifting of 'false' cases against the opposition activists, restoration of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Yesterday's rally was a major anti-government showdown of the opposition, who earlier predicted the government would quit by April. The rally coincided with the historic "Homecoming Day" of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the jail in Pakistan after Bangladesh won independence.

The AL chief narrated how the alliance government crippled the economy, made parliament dysfunctional, politicised administration and patronised criminals and their godfathers and amassed wealth illegally.

"The government has proved its inability to govern the country in only two years' time... there is no security of public life and people don't want such failed rulers to continue anymore."

"... Your time is running out, if possible, step down right away," Hasina told her cheering workers and supporters who attended the rally from different parts of the city and the outskirts. The crowd carrying banners and festoons shouted anti-government slogans.

The former prime minister accused her arch political rival of harbouring criminals and indulging in nepotism, corruption and politicisation.

She alleged that 36,000 people were killed in the last two years of coalition rule while children, women, journalists and indigenous people were not even spared from repression.

"Days are not far away when people will unseat the BNP-Jamaat-led coalition and the Awami League is ready to face any eventualities."

She said her party showed maximum restraint under what she said was repressive rule of the alliance government. But people would not tolerate that anymore.

"The hands that deal a blow to Awami League leaders and workers would be smashed. People have confidence in the Awami League, do not play with fire," she warned in an oblique reference to the prime minister.

"The Awami League secured independence. We recently signed the CHT Peace Accord, and [Ganges] Water Sharing Treaty with India and brought peace and prosperity to the country... the country achieved food autarky during our term."

"You (prime minister) have taken away peace and security of people by releasing 70,000 criminals. You cannot even rescue a kidnapped leader and businessman of your party. How you will ensure people's security?" Hasina asked.

Hasina alleged that sporadic attacks were launched on her party workers in different places, including Patuakhali, Comilla and Nababganj, to thwart people from attending the rally.

AL's 15-point demand

Following is the synopsis of the 15-point demands, declared yesterday by Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil at the public meeting in city's Paltan Maidan.

The declaration touched on deterioration of law and order, unabated corruption, price spiral of essentials, persecution of opposition political activists and minorities, absence of rule of law, violation of human rights, politicisation of administration and need for reform in the electoral process.

It said instead of governing the country properly the ruling alliance has established a reign of misrule, indulged in corruption and turned the Hawa Bhaban into a centre of corruption.

The declaration said the BNP-Jamaat led coalition government has miserably failed to govern the country throughout the last two years. Awami League tried to speak for people in parliament, but there is no way to speak against the misdeeds of the government in the House, it said.

At this critical juncture of the country, to save the destitute and to bring an end to BNP-Jamaat coalition's misdeeds national unity is essential, the declaration mentioned.

Each clause of the 15-point demand also contains sub-clauses.

1. Stop violence and ensure security of public life and property: People are living in great insecurity due to the violence sponsored by BNP-Jamaat led alliance and deteriorating law and order.

Curb lawlessness, reactivate 70,000 cases withdrawn by the government through administrative orders.

Stop killing, rape, extortion, encroachment, robbing, snatching, political killing, abduction, arson and repression on minorities.

Bring the BNP-Jamaat-backed criminals involved in businessmen abduction to justice.

Stop activities of the outlaws and government sponsored religious militant groups.

Ensure neutral role of law enforcing agencies.

Stop political crimes and tyranny of the godfathers.

2. Halt corruption, return people's property and disband Hawa Bhaban:

Investigate each and every case of corruption, intervention and embezzlement committed by the Hawa Bhaban.

Eliminate corruption from every sector of the administration and stop unabated corruption by Khaleda Zia, her family members and the ruling alliance loyalists.

Bring to justice any individual indulging in financial irregularities.

Form independent anti-corruption commission, free from political intervention.

3. Reduce cost of living:

Check spiralling prices of essentials and stop increasing prices of fuel, gas, water and power, and reduce transport fare.

Increase wages of all employees including government and non-government teachers, administration, police and armed forces personnel.

4. Protect democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech and ensure rule of law:

Make parliament functional.

Form independent human rights commission free of government intervention, and appoint ombudsman.

Implement the steps taken by the past Awami League government to separate the judiciary from the executive.

Protect all fundamental democratic rights including freedom of expression and organise rallies.

Stop repression and harassment of journalists. Halt politicisation in the state-run media including the BTV and reopen Ekushey Television (ETV).

Stop violence on religious minorities and indigenous people, and ensure their security. Stop using religion with political motives.

Implement Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) peace accord.

5. Stop politicisation: the government has made the administration dysfunctional through politicisation and dynastic rule. Sports sector has also not been spared.

Ensure neutrality and good governance by halting politicisation in the administration. Reinstate employees who lost their jobs due to political vendetta of the ruling parties.

Stop the culture of changing names of establishments and institutions.

6. Reduce prices of agricultural inputs, ensure just price of crops including jute. The alliance government has turned the food self-sufficiency into food deficiency. Establish agro-based industries to accelerate rural economy.

7. Implement the verdict of the Bangabandhu Murder Case and conduct fair trial of the Jail Killing Case.

8. Stop political killings and persecution of political opponents, withdraw false cases and release the opposition leaders and workers from jail and halt political misuse of the Speedy Trial Act.

9. Create fresh employment opportunities for youths, stop retrenchment of workers and shutting down of industries, reopen the closed down industries. Guarantee an investment-friendly environment.

10. Protect rights of women and security of children:

Stop violence against women and children, bring woman and child repressors to justice.

Ensure women empowerment at every sector.

11. Ensure appropriate utilisation of national resources for the interest of country and its people. Ensure national energy security and refrain from conspiring to export natural gas.

12. Abolish Gram Sarker system: Activate the local government according to the constitution and reinstate upazila system.

13. Govern the country in the spirit and values of the Liberation War and stop distortion of the history of the Liberation War.

14. Recover lost image of the country: Resist ill efforts of domestic and international anti-independence forces.

15. Bring reform to the electoral process and ensure its fairness.

Determine scope of power, ensure accountability and neutrality of the caretaker government.

Ensure transparency in the Election Commission.

Ensure neutral role of the returning officers, security of voters and the polling booths.

d) Make sure 'black money and muscle power' do not influence election.