"National ID cards are better than voter ID cards because these carry all the necessary information of an individual," he said while talking to reporters at his office.

The European Union (EU) said preparation of national ID cards would take eight months, the adviser mentioned. "But I have spoken to our ambassador to China, who told me Chinese companies could prepare ID cards very quickly."

Tapan said, "The chief adviser has given me full responsibility of seeing how quickly we can do it (national ID cards) …I have already asked the information and communication technology ministry to prepare a report within a week after discussions with the private sector."

He also said although it was rarely seen that the major political alliances came to a consensus on various issues, they hold the same views on holding of elections quickly.

But, Tapan noted, the preconditions for an election must be met if the polls are to be held. And these are national ID cards, correctly updated voter list and transparent ballot boxes.

There is no harm in taking a month or two to meet these requirement, he said.

Regarding corruption, the adviser said the caretaker government (CG) will take a comprehensive and firm stance to combat this. The corrupt must know that they are not above law and will be caught sooner or later. "If one example (action against the corrupt) is set, I believe the corrupt will get the message."

He mentioned that the CG has already taken steps to catch some identified corrupt individuals, as evident in the past few days.

The CG does not intend to remain in office for long, the adviser said. "But if we are in office for long, we will have the opportunity to combat corruption."

"Corruption has played a major role in creating the current political crisis," said Tapan. "We will make all out efforts to capture the corrupt."

The CG and the Election Commission will also take steps to prevent corrupt people and black money holders from contesting the elections so that honest and competent individuals can represent the people, said Tapan.