BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said they will give the interim government time to create a suitable environment for the national election.

"At today's meeting, we gave our opinions to the chief adviser on the necessary steps during the present situation of the country," he told reporters after a BNP delegation met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at state guest house Jamuna.

Fakhrul added, "Those who had deprived Bangladesh of its rights are now staying in India and have started conspiring again to undermine our victory."

Addressing recent allegations regarding attacks on the minorities, Fakhrul said, "The allegations of persecution against religious minorities are entirely motivated."

He called it an effort to tarnish the image of the country and the interim government.

"This is an attempt to malign Bangladesh, to malign this government, and to undermine the students' movement," he added.

While criticising the Awami League, he said, "Despite killing so many people, this party [Awami League] is still speaking against the interests of the Bangladeshi people. We believe the government should take action on this matter.

"We believe this government should talk to all political parties, but not with murderers," he added.

On August 5, an anti-government protest led by the students culminated in the resignation and fleeing of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina and her Awami League government had been in power for 15 years.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today termed the government's power deal with the Indian Adani Group "unnecessary and uneven" and said Bangladesh will be unable to reap benefits from the project.

"The government has signed a power contract with India's Adani Group. Everyone at home and abroad is saying that this is an unnecessary and unfair deal," he said.

If the deal is not revoked, the BNP leader said, Bangladesh will have to pay money, but it will not get much benefit.

"Through these kinds of deals and projects, they (AL leaders) are plundering huge public money and amassing wealth abroad," he observed.

Fakhrul made the remarks while talking to reporters after placing a wreath at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's grave along with the leaders of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal's newly announced full-fledged committee.

He said the Awami League government has no responsibility towards people since it has usurped power using the state machinery. "The most serious matter is that there is no parliament to hold the government accountable. There is a parliament that is not elected by people."

The BNP leader alleged that the government has been looting money in a planned way by taking various unnecessary projects one after another and building assets in different countries by siphoning off ill-gotten money abroad since it came to power 14 years.

He also said the government has been in a picnic mood while the country's people have been going through serious ordeals due to unusual price hikes in daily essentials.

"Since the government has no responsibility towards the people, they're indulging in festivity. They're today (Tuesday) holding a festival in President Abdul Hamid's area," Fakhrul observed.

The BNP leader said the government does not want to admit that there is an economic crisis and inflation has reached an extreme level in the country. "The common people of the country are now unable to buy rice."

Amid such a situation, he said the government's plan to stop the operation of OMS is a "terrible" move. "They'll sell rice and essentials through cards which can create another scope for them (AL leaders) to indulge in corruption."

Fakhrul said there is no alternative to continuing the ongoing movement to overcome the current situation of the country and the government's misrule. "We have started the movement. In this movement, 17 of our leaders and workers were killed on the streets. We'll surely establish a government of people by defeating the current fascist regime."

On February 22 last, BNP announced a 251-member full-fledged committee of the Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth front of the party, with Sultan Salahuddin Tuku as the president and Abdul Monayem Munna as the general secretary.

The High Court will on Sunday set the date to hold the hearing on its rule regarding granting bail to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in the case filed over the vandalism of the chief justice's residence on October 28.

The HC bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin, which issued the rule, set the date today after Fakhrul's lawyers led by Zainul Abedin prayed to the court for holding hearing of the matter as an "urgent case".

On December 7, the HC bench refused to grant him bail but issued a rule asking the state to explain in seven days why Fakhrul should not be granted bail in the case.

The bail petition of Fakhrul will be included in the cause list of the HC bench on Sunday for hearing of the rule and the court will set a time for the hearing, Barrister Md Badruddoza Badal, a lawyer for Fakhrul, told The Daily Star. The BNP leader has been languishing in jail for 47 days.

The HC bench issued the rule following a bail petition filed by Fakhrul.

On December 3, Fakhrul filed the bail petition with the HC through his lawyers, saying that he was not involved in the vandalism of the chief justice's residence in any manner.

He is an elderly person and he has been suffering from different diseases including heart problems, he said.

Fakhrul landed in jail on October 29 in connection with the case filed with Ramna Police Station.

A Dhaka court on November 22 refused to grant him bail in the case.