"We are postponing our non-stop blockade. People will go back to normal work from tomorrow [Tuesday]. We want to see now how the caretaker government acts in meeting our demands, as assured by the advisers," Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, coming out of an emergency meeting, told the press.

The bigwigs of 14-party alliance gathered in the meeting at her Dhanmondi office after the council of advisers declared to carry out some vital decisions for fair polls.

Hasina, however, said her alliance would stage a sit-in around the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat today to realise their demands including cancellation of the polls schedule and updating of the voter roll.

Threatening to resume the non-stop blockade and sit-in demonstrations if the interim government fails to fulfil the promises it made, Hasina said, "We are neither accepting the proposals nor rejecting them. We will observe how they act in line with their promises to create an atmosphere for a free fair election."

The AL chief said the election schedule must be cancelled and a fresh schedule must be declared after updating the voter list, in whatever time it takes, and the EC must be reconstituted. "I hope the advisers will do what they have said," the AL chief said adding that the caretaker government (CG) could have taken these steps much earlier when they assumed office, but they have wasted valuable time.

Earlier, the council of advisers decided to reshuffle the EC, re-fix the poll schedule while keeping the election date unchanged, update the voter list as much as possible and transfer a number of secretaries in a bid to end the prevailing political stalemate.

The parliamentary election as per the constitution must be held only after preparing an updated voter list which has all eligible voters enlisted. But, the EC rather than following the provision has violated the constitution, she said adding that the election would not be free and fair if it is hastily held.

"If they (CG) cannot update the voter list again and publish it within stipulated time, then why should there be any problem in deferring the polls?" asked Hasina.

Hasina said even though elections must be held within 90 days, according to the constitution, but there is no constitutional bar to hold the election after the 90 days as the constitution is for the people.

"If time is necessary to update the voter roll again, then the countrymen will give them (CG) time. They (CG) have wasted 36 days," Hasina said replying to a question if they (14-party) wanted the elections deferred.

She said they have been demonstrating in demand for a free and fair poll for more than two years. But, immediately after assuming the office of chief adviser to the caretaker government, President Iajuddin Ahmed violated the constitution in many ways to hinder the way for a free and fair poll to be held.

Hasina said as the BNP wants to steal people's votes, they always create troubles while handing over power to the CG.

Heavily coming down upon the BNP-Jamaat's previous government, she accused that government of completely failing to run the state and held it responsible for the price hike of essentials, unbridled corruption and acute power crisis.

Reiterating her demand for the resignation of the chief adviser, she said black money holders of the BNP-Jamaat alliance would influence the next election with that money.

She demanded that the CG takes actions against the black money holders and the corrupt to make the election free from the influence of black money.

She also demanded the withdrawal of cases filed against lawyers, including Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud in connection with the vandalism on the High Court premises.

Senior 14-party leaders including Syeda Zahora Tajuddin, Abdur Razzak, Abdul Jalil, Suranjit Sengupta, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Obaidul Quader, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haque Inu, Bimal Biswas, Nurul Islam, Pankaj Bhattacharya and Dilip Barua were present at the briefing.