The BIOJ leaders said this when they, led by Alhaj Misbahur Rahman Chowdhury, met opposition leader Sheikh Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi, said a press release.

Describing the reasons behind their decision to quit the ruling coalition, the BIOJ leaders told Hasina that the BNP-Jamaat government talks about Islam, but in fact they want to cling to power by making the people confused in the name of Islam.

They said the government is patronising militancy in the country and has created an anarchic situation in its bid to return to power.

AL President Sheikh Hasina thanked the BIOJ leaders for taking a courageous decision of quitting the ruling alliance and called on them to join the ongoing anti-government movement in the greater interest of the nation and Islam.

Hasina said Khaleda-Nizami government came to power promising to establish good governance and Islamic values, but so far they have done nothing.

"In fact, they don't believe in Islam of Hazrat Mohammad (SM). Instead, they follow Moududi. They have distorted Islam and destroyed the image of Bangladesh abroad, earning it a bad name of most corrupt country for the fourth consecutive time," she said.

Hasina said the government wants to cling to power through election engineering as it has appointed party men to every department, including the Election Commission.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, presidium member Kazi Jafarullah, environment affairs secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud, Momtaz Hossain, SM Kamal Hossain, Prof Dr Abu Bakkar Siddique and BIOJ vice-chairman M Nurul Islam, Mukhlesur Rahman Talukder, acting general secretary Shaikhul Hadith, Maulana Muniruzzaman Rabbani, organising secretary Maulana Firoz Ahmed were present at the meeting.