"I am not afraid of death....This is my new life after August 21. I am with you and will be with you," she told the huge crowd at Paltan Maidan in her first public speech since the grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally on Bangabandhu Avenue.

"I am ready to make supreme sacrifice for establishing people's rights. I promise you that I will continue protesting all misdeeds until my last breathe," said an emotion-charged Hasina, who narrowly escaped the grisly attacks 42 days ago.

Hasina, also president of the main opposition AL, demanded fresh election and announced a weeklong agitation that include a dawn-to-dusk hartal across the country on October 10, the day the alliance government will celebrate its three years in office.

The main opposition's grand rally was held peacefully with unprecedented security measures taken by the government to ward off any untoward incident in the wake of the August 21 carnage that killed 20 people and wounded over 200.

Tens of thousands of people joined the rally from different parts of the capital, adjacent districts and elsewhere carrying banners, placards, posters with antigovernment slogans braving the ongoing crackdown on opposition activists.

"Resignation of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government is now the only demand of the people," Hasina said. "The government has already proved its inability to govern the country and ensure security to people in last three years."

"There is no security of public life....People don't want to see such failed rulers anymore," said the opposition leader amid thunderous response from the audience . "We want democracy to continue and people to get back their rights to vote."

"What the BNP-Jamaat led coalition has given to countrymen in last three years?" she asked her political opponents. "Only deaths," she herself replied, accusing the alliance of releasing 70,000 criminals from jail to snatch peace and security of pubic life.

The AL chief reached the rally venue at 4:45pm in a jeep and slowly proceeded to the podium through the human sea in the Paltan maidan and surrounding areas. Personal security men and party leaders created a human shield to save her from any attack.

In a pin-drop silence, she began her speech paying homage to the victims of August 21 grenade attacks and said, "Tens of thousands of people are here, but some are not whom we lost forever in the deadly attack".

"I am ready for death to save the life of a single worker of my party," said a grateful Hasina who in her 33-minute speech stopped several times to wipe tears.

The AL chief specially recalled her slain party colleague Ivy Rahman who was killed in the August carnage. "She was one who used to sit here in the midst of crowd at any rally," Hasina said. "Now she is now more with us."

Referring to the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family in 1975, Hasina expressed her pain of losing near and dears and also her party comrades. "I have no words to express sympathy to the victims' families."

"Losing all in my family I stood beside the people only to work for their betterment ...I didn't want to see anymore deaths and bodies," Hasina said presenting a grim picture of the deadly bomb blasts taking place frequently in the country.

About the August 21 grenade attacks she claimed at least 23 were killed and over 400 wounded. Most of the injured will have to carry grenade splinters in their bodies until death, she said blaming the government-backed religious extremists for it.

On the just-released report of the judicial commission on the grenade attacks, Hasina said the report reflected the views of the government only.

Hasina said it's the responsibility of the armed forces to identify the criminals who brought the grenades to the country. "As protectors of the country and its sovereignty the armed forces have to do this."

Referring to the killing of a number of criminals reportedly by the Rab which was passed off as deaths in 'crossfire,' Hasina said even the notorious criminals have the right to justice. "But custodial death has now become a commonplace."

The AL chief said the criminals were being killed as the government wanted to save their godfathers "who are ministers and lawmakers of the ruling alliance".

The criminals would have revealed the names of godfathers had they been interrogated instead of being killed in such a manner, she said.

The leader of the opposition observed that Parliament has become totally non-functional and alleged her party lawmakers were deprived of the right to discuss the August 21 grenade attacks while ruling party MPs allowed to speak against the opposition.

"Treasury bench lawmakers accused the Awami League itself of the attack saying that we had done it to tarnish the image of the government," said Hasina posing a question, "Is there any image of Bangladesh under the rule of Khaleda Zia to the foreigners?"

She said Bangladesh is now considered as champion in corruption. "Prime minister, her family members, ministers and lawmakers of the alliance government have damaged the country's image," she alleged.

She accused the government of killing prospective leaders of her party with the help of criminals in a planned way.

Hasina thanked the world leaders who expressed sympathy to her after the grenade attacks.

The AL chief also narrated how the alliance government has crippled the economy, made parliament dysfunctional, politicised administration, harboured criminals and their godfathers and amassed wealth.

Chaired by Zillur Rahman, the rally was also addressed by Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammad Nasim, Mohammad Hanif, Syed Ashraful Islam, Abdul Mannan, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and Badruddin Ahmed Kamran.

Hartal called for Oct 10 The mainstream opposition parties yesterday announced a fresh spell of street agitation, besides a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal on the third anniversary of the ruling coalition in office, October 10,

Phenomenal security Paltan Maidan and the surrounding areas turned into a human sea yesterday afternoon as tens of thousands of people thronged there at the grand rally of main opposition Awami League held amidst an unprecedented