In separate news conferences, they termed the CG's latest move 'a fresh conspiracy and a piecemeal approach only to mislead the people'.

"The latest announcement is not acceptable. It's a move to mislead the people. No one talked to us before taking the decision," 14-party Coordinator Abdul Jalil told a news briefing at his NAM Bhaban residence in the capital.

Prior to 14-party's briefing, JP and LDP held two separate news conferences over the matter.

Earlier, Jalil also AL general secretary, visited JP Chairman HM Ershad at his President's Park residence in the morning and discussed the current political situation with him.

He also consulted with the top leaders of LDP, Zaker Party and other components of the grand electoral alliance before the briefing.

AL-led alliance will sit again today to chalk out fresh programmes.

In a latest development yesterday, the CG decided to make a formal request to 'controversial' Election Commissioner SM Zakaria to go on a leave and the Election Commission (EC) rescheduled the next election without changing the polling date.

At the briefing, Jalil said, "Conspiracies are still on. Instead of implementing the entire package proposal, the caretaker government has taken a piecemeal approach only to hold a farcical election conspiring to destroy the democratic process."

In the original package proposal, the CG proposed that Zakaria and newly appointed Election Commissioner Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury would be sent on leaves of absence and three new commissioners would be appointed, he said.

"We have learnt that the caretaker government will only send Zakaria on a leave. But we know nothing about when will he be sent on a leave?" said the AL leader adding that the Chief Adviser (CA) Iajuddin Ahmed-led CG has failed to create a congenial atmosphere for a fair election.

The AL leader reiterated his demand that Iajuddin steps down from the post of CA and appoints a non-partisan person to the post, cancels the current poll schedule, reconstitutes the Election Commission through removal of all controversial persons in it, changes all election officials in the EC secretariat and in the election offices in districts and upazilas, corrects and publishes the updated voter roll, depoliticises the administration, announces a fresh poll schedule after publishing the corrected voter list and implements the package deal in its entirety.

None of the demands has been met yet which are prerequisites for holding a free and fair election, Jalil said.

JP (ERSHAD)
Jatiya Party Presidium Member Kazi Zafar Ahmed yesterday said the president and CA should resign from the post of chief adviser and should appoint an acceptable person instead since 'he has totally failed to create a congenial atmosphere for holding a free and neutral election'.

"The package proposal of the caretaker government was not implemented due to interference from a vested quarter and the CA is subservient to a specific party," he said at a news briefing in Jatiya Party chairman's Banani office in the capital.

About the new EC decision of extending the deadline for submission of nomination papers and the council of advisers' decision to request Election Commissioner Zakaria to go on a leave, he just said, "The final victory will also come the same way."

He demanded cancellation of the 'biased election schedule', reconstitution of the Election Commission through removal of the two controversial election commissioners, and termination of 'politically appointed' election officers.

He said the voter list should be updated under a reconstituted election commission and the administration should be free of political influence.

"A fresh election schedule should be announced after publishing a corrected voter list," he said.

In reply to a question he said, "Components of the grand alliance have come to a sweeping political understanding and we are united for the movement, for the election and also for forming a government."

JP Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader, Kazi Firoje Rashid, Ziauddin Bablu, Tajul Islam Chowdhury, and Ahsan Habib Lincoln were also present.

JOF
Jatiya Oikya Front comprising Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Jatiya Oikya Mancha and Tarikat Federation will start daily sit-ins from today around the divisional election commission office in Segunbagicha of the capital and obstruct the four-party alliance nominated candidates going there to submit nomination papers.

LDP Secretary General Major (retd) Abdul Mannan at a news conference yesterday termed President Iajuddin Ahmed as 'the president of four-party alliance and not of the people of Bangladesh'. Their programme will continue until December 24, the last date for submission of nominations, Mannan said.

"We are fighting for a free and fair election. Until an environment for a free and fair election is created in the country we will not allow anybody to submit nomination forms," Mannan said.

Mannan accused the president of taking wrong, biased and autocratic decisions making the situation more complex than it was.

"But we think, President Iazuddin still can resolve the ongoing political crisis by handing over the office of chief adviser (CA) to a neutral person," he added.

He also demanded correction of the voter list rejecting the current one by terming it a 'voter list of the nationalists'.

Leaders of JOF said the responsibility of the CA's office and the Election Commission is to conduct a free and fair election but instead of creating a congenial environment the CA's office is busy implementing the conspiracies of four-party alliance.

Jatiya Oikya Front also demanded that the administration be purged of four-party partisans.

B Chwodhury, former president of the country and president of LDP, and other leaders of Jatiya Oikya Front were also present at the conference.