BNP Secretary General and Local Government and Rural Government (LGRD) Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan thanked the parties for announcing a 'pro-election' programme after long while offering the proposal.

He also invited the opposition to come to parliament and raise its demands.

Dialogue on the demands could be held both in parliament as well as outside, Bhuiyan told a group of journalists at his Secretariat office yesterday.

The talks offer came in the wake of the Awami League (AL)-led opposition alliance's 23-point common minimum national programme, which is virtually its election manifesto, announced from Tuesday's grand rally at the city's Paltan Maidan.

BNP stalwart and Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahamn also proposed a dialogue with the opposition on their demands.

The government) also is in favour of reforming election regulations for the sake of free and fair elections. "But for that they (opposition) will have to come to parliament. We cannot have a dialogue at Paltan Maidan," Saifur told journalists yesterday at his Secretariat office.

On the 23-point demand, Mannan Bhuiyan said, "BNP also has the same demands. Many of these demands have already been realised while some others are in the process of being met."

Regarding reforms in the caretaker government and the Election Commission, Bhuiyan said BNP also wants to do everything for holding free and fair elections. "The opposition parties should come to parliament and raise their demands there. We are ready to consider any suggestions to rid the elections of black money and terrorism. My party will be the beneficiary if polls are held in a free and fair manner," he said.

The BNP secretary general however ruled out the opposition demand for appointing chief adviser of caretaker government on the basis of consensus of all quarters. "In the present context, it is difficult to find a person who is acceptable to all. This is a confusing demand," he added.

Rejecting the demand for resignation of the government, Bhuiyan said the opposition had been making this demand since the first day of this the government. An elected government cannot be forced out of power in this way. "If a grand rally could dislodge an elected government, our government would have to resign every month," he observed.

He advised the opposition to wait for the public mandate in the next elections.

The present government's tenure will expire just after 10 months. So, instead of wasting their (opposition) energy by agitating in the streets demanding the government's resignation, they should utilise the time by mobilising public support in their favour, Bhuiyan thought.

Asked about the huge gathering at Tuesdya's grand rally, he said the number of people attending a rally is no indicator of popularity.

The LGRD minister mentioned that the government took adequate security measures to ensure that the opposition could hold the rally in a secure and peaceful manner.

He denied allegations that people were barred from attending the rally, saying police did only what was necessary to make sure that no untoward incidents could take place at the rally.

Bhuiyan expressed his happiness at the demand that BNP should not give any access to terrorists and their godfathers or allow them to join the election race. But the AL itself is yet to expel any godfather from the party, he said, adding it only 'half-expelled' Hazary.

BNP has not created any godfathers, and it is the AL who had created and patronised godfathers," Bhuiyan claimed.

He said his party will soon go for mass contact, organise grand rallies and meetings and announce its political programmes aimed at the coming elections, and not to counter the opposition programmes.