Face opposition politically

She made the call while exchanging opinions with presidents and general secretaries of Comilla (north) district, thana and pourasabha BNP units as part of the ongoing pre-poll parleys with the grassroots-level leaders of her party at her 30, Hare Road office in the afternoon.

A total of 36 leaders, including seven MPs, met separately the prime minister during the programme.

Khaleda, also chairperson of the ruling BNP, urged them to work unitedly and project the development activities to people in their respective areas.

She also advised them to give attention to preparing voter list properly.

Briefing newsmen, party Secretary General and LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, who was present at the meeting, said Comilla is the stronghold of BNP and their prospect is still bright.

"We came to know from field-level leaders that in the next election, BNP will win with bigger margins of vote compared to last election in the respective constituencies," he said.

"Because," he added, "Massive development work, including creation of two new upazilas, have been carried out in the district by the present government."

He renewed his call to the opposition for a dialogue to resolve problems, if any.

"We think any problem can be solved through discussions in Parliament. Parliament is the centre point of all political activities," he told reporters when asked for comments on US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Bouncher's remarks on the country's politics and elections.

Boucher told a press conference here on August 3 that major political parties either should sit down to work out the issues relating to the elections or follow the constitutional provisions.

The BNP secretary general said still the door for discussion is open and they are interested in holding a dialogue with the opposition.

Asked about open remarks by diplomats and donors on domestic politics, Bhuiyan said development partners have been helping the country in various ways and send election observers during elections.

"We hope that they'll remain at that level and won't comment on internal matters," he said.

About the possibility of a meeting of top leaders from the 4-party alliance, he said: "It's a continuous process and the meeting can take place anytime."

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman was present at the briefing.