They also alleged that the alliance government is conspiring so that no impartial election could be held in the country.

The remarks came from a rally at Bangabandhu Avenue to protest the 'BNP attacks' on AL leader Akhtaruzzaman and others in Gazipur on December 27 and the death threat issued by the Islamist militants to AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta MP.

The attacks and threats are not isolated incidents, the AL leaders said and accused the alliance government of resorting to such attacks in an evil design to eliminate Awami League leaders and perpetuate its misrule.

Presiding over the rally, AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury alleged that Prime Minister Khaleda Zia along with the 'razakars' has been torturing the opposition leaders and activists.

"The more you (government) will intensify the attacks on our workers, the more they will be emboldened to foil all your conspiracies," she said.

Abdur Razzak MP said the alliance government does not want welfare of the farmers; they want to make Bangladesh a country of food crisis.

"The government has not taken any step against the militants who have killed scores of people through bomb attacks," he said. "Rather, the government is threatening to bring sedition charges against the opposition leaders who are protesting the militancy and who fought in the liberation war."

AL presidium member Tofail Ahmed blamed the BNP-Jamaat coalition government for the soaring price hike of essentials and for "plundering country's wealth and patronising the militants".

He urged the people of all strata to be united to topple the 'corrupt' alliance government.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil was highly critical of the militant attacks, saying that the rise of the militancy has pushed the country into conflict.

They are trying to destroy the democracy and the achievements of the liberation war, he added.

Jalil said: "Our demand is the resignation of the alliance government so that a people's government and the rule of law can be established through an election under a neutral caretaker government."

Referring to the cancellation of the scheduled press briefing by the chief election commissioner on Thursday, he said this has "proved that the government lost its courage to speak the truth."

AL leaders Mohammad Hanif, Obaidul Kader, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Omar Ali, Habibur Rahman Khan, Bazlur Rahman, Alhaj Makbul Hossain and Haji Selim also spoke at the rally.