Crimes increased in the country as the ruling parties are patronising criminals and Islamist militants, Jatiya Samajtantric Dal president Hasanul Haque Inu has alleged.

The government should step down accepting its failure to ensure security of people's life and property, he said while addressing a party council held at Saturia Pilot High School ground on Tuesday.

He heavily criticised the government for price hike of essentials and of fertiliser and fuel during the current IRRI-Boro season.

He claimed that the government failed to run the country and demanded formation of a "national government" to free the people from the "misrule of the four-party alliance government."

He urged the party workers and all pro-liberation forces to unite and intensity the on going antigovernment agitation.

With Saturia upazila JSD president Ahammad Ali in the chair, the meeting was addressed by, among others, JSD central joint secretary Iqbal Hossain Khan, central leader Afzal Hossain Khan Zoki, its Manikganj district unit vice presidents Harej Ali and Jeebesh Chakrabarty, organising secretary Aslam Khan Babu, Krishak Jote President Moslem Uddin Khan, Abdur Razzak, Animul Islam Kohinur and Arif Hossain Liton.

Inu urged the government to ban all extremist religious outfits to contain rise of fundamentalist forces in the country.

They are out to capture power in the name of religion, which will turn Bangladesh into another Afghanistan, he said.