With the general elections in Bangladesh slated for later this year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has challenged the Opposition BNP to topple her Awami League government in the next three months. "Now I give you (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) a deadline to topple us in next three months," Hasina told a public rally on Friday at Tongi industrial town, north of Dhaka, in an apparent rebuff to Opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia, who was asking the government to step down by March 8.
Although the Prime Minister offered to hand power to a caretaker government prior to general elections, BNP supremo Begum Zia two days back issued an ultimatum to Hasina asking her to resign by March 30 or face a general strike on April 1-2. Referring to the ultimatum, Hasina expressed her doubt whether the opposition leader really wanted polls, saying Begum Zia knows it for sure that she could never stage a come back in a free and fair election to be held under a caretaker government.

She also spoke of her commitment to announce elections whenever opposition so demanded.
Political analysts said that the over all political situation already charged by Begum Zia's ultimatum will be further aggravated with Prime Minister's counter challenge. Bureau Report