Sheikh Hasina has reportedly assured her party leaders of her government’s firm grip on the situation while the BNP-led bloc persists with unremitting violence.
Published : 01 Feb 2015, 11:06 PM
But the prime minister said the government would not rush measures against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is leading the agitation for a snap election under a 'neutral government'.
At a meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party on Sunday night, the party president also advised them against 'extreme' reaction towards the 20-Party alliance programmes.
The BNP and its allies, that boycotted the 2014 national polls, are conducting a violent campaign that has killed over 40 people since Jan 5.
But the Awami League has ruled out any election before 2019, when it is due as per the Constitution.
The ruling party leaders say the prime minister is firm on her stand.
"She (Hasina) told us 'the government is working against the sabotage unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat. So, don't show extreme reactions'," one who attended the meeting but did not want to be named told bdnews24.com.
"She (Khaleda) will suffer much. [The government] can take many steps against her but I don’t want to do anything just now," he quoted the prime minister as saying.
After the meeting, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said they had talked about the BNP's agitations.
"What she's (Khaleda) doing is not demonstrations but crimes against humanity, acts of terrorism and sabotage, and a step towards the rise of militancy," he told reporters.
An MP from Rangpur told bdnews24.com that the prime minister had urged them not to worry over the current situation.
"'Everything is under control'," he quoted Hasina as saying.
Tofail said the law-enforcing agencies were taking "proper steps" and that the situation was improving gradually.
Sunday's meeting was the Awami League Parliament Party's first since the fifth session started.
The prime minister reportedly rejected Suranjit Sengupta's proposal to adjourn Parliament for two weeks for the safety of the SSC examinees.
Jaipurhat-2 MP Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Swapon and Parliament Whip Atiur Rahman Atik said they had been asked to create public awareness against sabotage.
Hasina also shot down Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali's suggestion to go ahead with the SSC examinations amid blockades and shutdowns, saying she did not want to put the examinees at risk.