It has decided to head off the alternative political stream spearheaded by former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and go slow on the AL, highly placed sources in the ruling four-party alliance said.

Several ministers and leaders of the BNP and its front organisations in their press statements and speeches in the last few days have been overtly threatening to resist the move of the alternative stream at any cost.

The government resorted to repressive measures against the main opposition last month when it staged hartal and other street agitation programmes.

It arrested several hundred AL activists and obstructed rallies and processions just a fortnight ago, but is now keen on holding talks with the main opposition, the sources in the ruling alliance said.

BNP Secretary General and also Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan rang up Deputy Leader of the Opposition Abdul Hamid Advocate on Saturday and made fresh offer for dialogue to resolve the current political impasse due to AL's skipping parliament sessions.

Surveillance has been mounted on the leaders and supporters of Badruddoza Chowdhury's alternative stream and a process initiated to take them head-on so that others looking to join or float alternative stream think better of doing so.

Yesterday, some youths bombed and vandalised National Beverage and Sunman Food of Abdul Mannan, a retired army major who joined the alternative stream last week, which manufactures and distributes Sun Crest Cola at Savar, injured seven, damaged two microbuses and a mini-truck.

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal activists forced closure of his eight garment factories and took away shipment worth $2 lakh in Chittagong on March 13. Customs men took away 4,500 cases of Sun Crest and papers from the Sun Crest depot at Dewanhat that day and unknown men hurled three bombs at Mannan's Gulshan residence the same night.

Several followers of the alternative stream alleged they are being harassed and not being able to stay at home and do business at their offices due to threat from the BNP activists and tax and law-enforcing officials.

They said National Board of Revenue (NBR) officials have already started visiting their business offices and are examining whether they are doing business legally and paying the taxes regularly.

Official sources said the government has ordered the police, NBR and others to go for massive crackdown against their businesses and political activities.

Home ministry sources said police surveillance on the AL leaders and activists has been slightly reduced and surveillance on the leaders and supporters of the alternative political stream enhanced, instead.

"We now consider the alternative stream as our main opponent rather than the Awami League because it is causing damage to the image of the government, so all concentration obviously goes around the former president's move," said a senior minister, who wanted not to be named.

"We will not allow anyone to float political party or platform by wooing BNP men out of the party fold and will put every hurdle on their way. They will not be allowed to hold programmes peacefully anywhere in the country," said a top ranking BNP leader, also on condition of anonymity.

He said no big party like the BNP will sit idle when a renegade is trying to encourage desertion of party lawmakers.