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AL for stiff agitation at end of ultimatum

Staff Correspondent
Main opposition Awami League (AL) is set to move for an agitation to bring down the government on expiry of its one-month ultimatum on February 10 for meeting its 15-point demand.
Emerging from an emergency joint meeting of the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) and different front organisations at the party's Dhanmondi officeyesterday, ALActingGencralSecretaryObaidul Kader told newsmen: "We'll go for tougher movements and turn the
current programme into a mass upsurge." Hesaidtliepartywouldgo for a mass movement to topple the government after the hartal called on February 12.
AL President Sheikh Hasina chaired the 90-minute meeting just five days ahead of the expiry of the ultimatum shehad announced from a January 10 rally at Paltan Maidan. The AL's 15-point demand includes, among other things, curbing downslide in law and order and unabatedpricchikeofessentials. -
Briefing the newsmen after the meeting, Hasina's political secretary and AL Organising Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury said, "We're utterly disappointed that government did not pay heed to our demand. It remains totally indifferent to what have been happening in the country and it doesn't even feel compelled to give any explanations to the people of the grave incidents taking place one after another."
Saber said at yesterday's joint meeting the party leadership took mental preparations for giving the movement for 15-point demand a final shape, as the government remained oblivious to people's miseries. He also informed that full-fledged committees of AL Dhaka city unit and its various thana units would be announced soon.
Late last year, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil had said that there would be a changeover in power by April this year amidst public upsurge. Sheikh Hasina along with 57 of her party's lawmakers have been boycotting the parliament for eight months now.
Referring to 22 incidents of killing during three days of Eid vacation the AL president told her party col-
leagues at yesterday's meeting, "The whole country has become hostage to the criminals belonging to the ruling alliance."
"Now we have to carry bodies of our slain leaders and workers every day. Awami League leaders and workers are being murdered every day at one place or another," Hasina said, blaming the government for what she claimed was releasing of 70,000 criminals from jails. She also said people's life became miserable because of unabated hike in the essentials prices.
Alluding to the alternate power centre of the ruling BNP -- Hawa Bhaban -- the opposition leader claimed that the building had turned into 'a den of criminals and killers' and 'a centre for accumulating illegally earned assets.'
While citing some examples of corruption, the opposition leader mentioned the felling of trees on either side of the Airport Road in order to allocate land to ruling partymen for CNG stations.
The joint meeting of AL expressed condolence for the casualties at Mina in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj and also for those at a launch mishap in Patuakhali.