These remarks of hers were preceded not long ago by calls to seek reprisals for the repression on her party men by the police during the various siege programmes of the alliance. Coming from the leader of the opposition it is shocking. These, unfortunately, display a retributory attitude, hardly the reflection of political sagacity that one expects from our political leaders at this juncture.

Such attitude should better be abandoned, because, given the atmosphere that has been already vitiated by the immature and hamhanded policies of the administration and the violent attitude of the police, it might lead us further to an irreversible collision course, from which the parties might find it difficult to salvage the situation.

As it is, a very combustible scenario faces the country. It appears that the government has pitted the police and the people against one another in an adversarial role, something that cannot bode well for the future of the country. We may not be wrong in apprehending that the statements such as we hear made by the leader of the opposition will further engender open confrontation and antagonism between the opposition activists and the law enforcing agencies, adding to the already turbulent situation and deepening the crisis even more. Furthermore, one feels such a diatribe would only help in weaning the common man from the opposition's cause rather than endearing her it to them.

We are dismayed even more when we find that the common position taken by the ruling alliance leader Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and the opposition leader Abdul Hamid against hartal on the floor of the parliament is not being reflected in their actions on ground.

If Mannan Bhuyian calls for the opposition to shun the path of strike and violence and sit for a dialogue instead to resolve the issues, the government can do no worse than to continue with the police brutality and violence against the opposition party members. By the same token, when one hears call for reprisals the only impression one gets is that the opposition's words hardly meet its deeds.