"You (chief adviser) are the constitutional chief, chief adviser and guardian of the nation. Presently you possess the authority and also the responsibility to save the nation by upholding the constitutional obligation of holding the national election within 90 days of the caretaker government's tenure," Mir Nasir Hossain, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said.

Failure to hold the election in time will create a constitutional vacuum, affect all business activities and thus destroy the country's economy, said Nasir while addressing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of FBCCI at Chamber Building Auditorium in Dhaka.

He also hoped that the two leaders of the feuding parties would reach a consensus and find a way to hold a peaceful election at their meetings with the president. Their meetings with the president were supposed to be held later in the evening yesterday.

Speakers at the AGM also expressed their concern over the congestion at Chittagong Port and said export and import of the country are greatly affected by the politicisation of the port and surcharges imposed on the containers.

"From December 1, we have to pay $200 surcharge per container when the port experiences congestion, even though we are not responsible for the congestion" M Bashir Ullah, director of Bangladesh Steel Mill Owners Association, complained.

The FBCCI president pointed out that if the port users are compelled to pay $200 against each container, by the year-end, they would have to pay Tk 1,000 crore in surcharge. And that would be an enormous pressure on the economy.

Leaders from chambers of commerce, industry, trade, and industrial associations from across the country participated in the AGM where all discussion centred on the present volatile political situation.

The business leaders urged the FBCCI president to organise demonstrations under the banner of FBCCI calling on all political parties to keep business and economy beyond the purview of political programmes and ensure a sound political atmosphere for a sound economy.

The leaders recommended that FBCCI should compile a list of businesses showing losses incurred due to the ongoing political unrest and press the government to compensate for the losses. They also said it would not be fair to the business community if the banks charge interest on loans during the blockade programmes.

"We have been unable to run our industries for the last one month. As such, we decided to hand over the keys to our business establishments to the president within the next few days," Liakat Ali Milon of Bangladesh Specialised Textile Mills and Power loom Industries Association, said urging the FBCCI president to join the programme.

Referring to the current political crisis, the FBCCI president vowed to keep the federation above all political influence and continue FBCCI's activities for economic and business purposes.

The FBCCI president also said its board of directors will be holding an emergency meeting today to discuss the prevailing situation of the country and adopt a course of action.