"Drive vehicles on the road and send your children to schools and colleges. Police will take tough punitive action, if they (opposition) go for hartal this time and damage vehicles and set fire to property," she said addressing a public meeting at Nazipur Government College ground at Patnitala in Naogaon in the afternoon.

The prime minister accused the Awami League (AL) of creating artificial crisis of petroleum products and fertiliser, leading to price hike of those goods in some areas of the country.

"The government has not raised the prices of fuel and fertiliser," she said, adding that the AL and its allies were out to create artificial crisis of petroleum products and fertiliser.

The country has adequate reserve of fuel and fertiliser and there is no possibility of any crisis of diesel, kerosene or fertiliser in the country, the prime minister said and warned the wrong-doers of tough action if they indulged in foul games.

Khaleda assured the farmers of all possible support in agriculture sector and called upon them to grow more crops and increase food products taking loans and other facilities offered by the government.

Blasting the main opposition party for not attending parliament sessions and disregarding the speaker's ruling, she said the Awami League has opted for hartal and destructive politics as it doesn't want people's welfare and development of the country.

Communications Minister Nazmul Huda, Post and Telecommu-nications Minister M Aminul Haq, Rajshahi City Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, Shamsul Alam Pramanik and Rajshahi Krishi Bank Chairman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi addressed the meeting presided over by local MP Shamsuddoha Khan.

The prime minister described some of the present government's development programmes and said the BNP believes in the politics of development. On the other hand, she added, the Awami League always resorts to destruction, and plundering of people's assets.

Referring to the past five-year rule of the AL, Khaleda said they killed people, grabbed property, created godfathers and flooded the country with arms. She said it (AL) is also trying to tarnish the country's image abroad through orchestrated propaganda.

She said the AL dishonoured mosques, looted Hindu temples, and blasted bombs at churches when it was in power.

She made some development pledges to the locals that included construction of a bridge over the river Atrai, upgradation of Dhamaihat Upazila Health Complex to a 50-bed hospital, construction and development of roads, rural electrification and development of educational institutions.

Earlier, the prime minister formally inaugurated the development work of Naogaon-Patnitala-Joypurhat Highway. The 57.50 km road will be developed under a Tk 15 crore project to be completed by March, 2005.

She also gave away an ambulance to the upazila health complex and distributed goats and spray machines among the poor people under poverty reduction progra-mme.