Opposition leader and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is trying to create a 'political dynasty'.

"It's heard that the prime minister wants to become president and put her son in the chair of the premier. She is going to create a political dynasty and so, she has been conspiring against the nation," Hasina told a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) conference at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.

Referring to the prime minister's (PM) recent allegation that the opposition was conspiring to oust the government, she said: "The conspirators are within her government. You (PM) will find them all around you and not in the opposition."

"The prime minister sees deep-rooted conspiracy and has warned of stern actions. But she fails to see what's happening around her. You will find the conspirators among the turncoat politicians within your party."

Hasina also made several observations about the exit of president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury.

"Why should we conspire with a person (Chowdhury) who spread invectives against us during the last general elections? How will the Awami League gain by conspiring with such a person?"

Hasina said the allegations of

conspiracy are aimed at gearing up repression against the AL.

She said her party would return to the parliament today although the opposition lawmakers were not allowed to 'speak freely' on the 'antipeople' budget.

"We'll continue our battle to raise issues of public concern like rape, torture, killing, violence and inflation as long as possible. We will join the House because we believe in democracy."

About the PM's suggestion to ban student politics, the opposition leader said there is nothing bad in politics. "Before blaming it, she should have stopped hooliganism over tenders and violence by her student activists."

In her hour-long speech, the former prime minister also spoke about reported attacks on journalists, closure of the Adamjee Jute Mills (AJM), controversy over proposed gas export, alleged persecution of opposition activists, violence against women and alleged corruption by the government, among other issues.

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She said the government has made lakhs of people jobless and rendered the future of the students of the schools at the AJM uncertain. She demanded full payment to the workers and fixation of raw jute price at Tk500 a maund.

“Bangladesh now tops the list of the countries in terms of repression on journalists. Newsmen cannot write the truth because of fear of being killed, attacked and tortured," she said and alleged that the government was protecting the attackers.

Quoting a report of the Reporters Sans Frontier, she told the gathering that 148 journalists had been attacked since the coalition government took over nine months ago. She also protested the ban on the daily Uttarbanga Barta in Natore.

Hasina termed the closure of the AJM another cruel act of the coalition government. "It is inhuman to close down the mill before making alternative employment opportunity for the workers."

The opposition leader bitterly criticised the government for 'conspiring to hand over' the country's limited gas resources to foreign companies. "The BNP came to power with the undertaking to the USA and India to sell out gas," she said.

Accusing the BNP-Jamaat men of the rising crimes in the country, the opposition leader wondered how such incidents could be checked when 'criminals are made

MPs or ministers'. "Can peace be restored with such a practice going unabated?"

"Torture and injustice can never last long. This tyrant government is doomed to fail," she said, calling upon all to join the movement against 'the anti-people government'.

Hasina also accused the Khaleda government of doing everything possible to hide its 'acts of corruption'.

She asked members of the BCL, the AL's student wing, to give top priority to education and refrain from politics before examinations.

Acting BCL President Marufa Akhtar Poppy, acting General Secretary Saifuzzaman Shekhar, and Dhaka University unit President Beg Shaheed Jahan and General Secretary AKM Azim also spoke on the occasion.