The mass people have no major problem, it is the mindset of a handful of politicians who create the problems and social divide, they said.

Dirty politics and perennial power conflicts constitute the hardcore problem in the country, said Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury, former advisor of a caretaker government.

While there are many development inputs in the society, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening persistently, with 77.7 percent of people earning less than two dollars a day, he added.

The Bangladesh Policy Forum (BPF) organised the discussion on 'Confrontational politics and the image of Bangladesh' at Cirdap auditorium in the city.

The speakers also said India aspires to keep its neighbours economically and diplomatically weak to serve its own interests.

"It is no wonder that India intends to keep its neighbours weak in any way possible," said Moinul Hossain Chowdhury.

Brig. Gen. (retd.) Shakhawat Hossain said, "As the government has failed to act in time, Bangladesh has been branded as a militant and extremist country in the region."

"Inaction and overconfidence of the sitting government has resulted in internal political divide and the country's image crisis," he added.

The failure of Bangladesh missions abroad is equally responsible for the country's poor image, he said.

Prof Anwar Hossain of Dhaka University said, "It is the internal political harmony on which rests the image of a country. Social capital is crucial to bring about such a harmony."

Massive use of black money in the election is a potential threat to an effective parliament and democratic growth as well, he said.

It is neither religion nor the Muslim identity but the political parties that created the crisis in the country's image, said Sheikh Towfique of Neeti Gabeshona Kendra, a research organisation.

In his keynote presentation, journalist Sadeque Khan underscored that the means of changing the government must be general elections and no other way.

The speakers also suggested that the tenure of the parliament should be four years instead of five.

Policy Forum leaders Farid Uddin Khan and Golam Rabbani were present at the discussion moderated by Dr Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University.