"As the present caretaker government took oath as per article 58 (C) of constitution, it is their obligation to hold elections within stipulated 90 days. Fifty days have already passed but the electoral process is yet to start," Hasina said at the meeting of AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) yesterday.

The meeting started on Saturday at the party's Dhanmondi office in the capital.

The AL chief urged the interim government to start groundwork for the elections that should be free, fair and credible as well as free from the influence of black money.

She demanded the use of transparent ballot boxes for the elections.

Showing a sample transparent ballot box, she said an AL delegation will soon take the box to the Election Commission (EC).

It is not necessary to import ballot boxes as it can be made in Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory, said Hasina.

The EC should prepare a policy on registration of political parties through discussion, she said, adding that the percentage of votes bagged by a party is to be considered in case of registration as a political party.

If a free and fair election is held, it would be possible to determine the percentage of the votes got by political parties and the parties getting votes under a minimum percentage should not get registration, she said.

Terming unfortunate 'sweeping criticisms' against politicians, the AL chief said some vested quarters weigh all the politicians on the same scale only to fish in the troubled waters.

The government should prepare a real list of the corrupt and criminals.

Urging the government not to harass innocent people and political leaders, she demanded the release of AL leaders and workers who had been arrested without any case or specific allegation.

Hasina, who is the immediate past leader of the opposition and also a former prime minister, demanded that the caretaker government start inquiry into all the killings, bomb and grenade attacks.

Accusing Jamaat-e-Islami leaders of 'criminal acts, bomb and grenade blasts and patronising militants' she said, "Why are Jamaat leaders not arrested?"

She said the people witnessed widespread corruption, lootings of relief materials, misrule, rise of militancy, grenade and bomb attacks, repression and criminal activities during the previous BNP-Jamaat government's rule while the AL during their tenure had achieved the people's trust.

The ALCWC meeting urged the caretaker government to take crash programmes for solving fertiliser and power crises and checking price hike of essentials.