Bangladesh's left-leaning 14-party combine led by the main opposition Awami League (AL) is forcing the government to reform the caretaker government system and the election process.

An AL top leader said they will lay a siege before the secretariat, the highest seat of administration, on March 30.

"The siege program will be a turning point in the movement for reforms," private television channel ATN Bangla quoted AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil as saying on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) sources told Xinhua on Tuesday that the deadlock, which was created in the formal talks between the opposition and the government, was going to be ended as the government is going to send a letter to the opposition asking them to form a committee to discuss the reform.

The opposition wants reforms in the caretaker government system to supervise the national election of the country since 1996 and reform the election process removing the Chief Election Commission Justice MA Aziz and two newly appointed deputies of Aziz.

BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan had a long meeting with Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia on Monday to decide if the committee will be a political one or a parliamentarian.

The BNP sources said the party is going to write back to the opposition conveying its readiness to discuss the reform proposal. The AL's left allies who have no representative in parliament, will now be able to be member of the committee, the sources said.

The BNP-led four-party alliance government initially was unwilling to reforms demanded by the opposition. The government leaders had earlier said the national election due in January next year will be held as per the country's constitution and there will be no reform in the caretaker government system.

But last month the government changed its mind and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the parliament said a committee will be formed to discuss the reforms.

But later, standoff was created on the question of inviting the opposition to form committees.

AL chief Sheikh Hasina, who is now in the United States for treatment, said there will be no election without reforms and "we will not allow the government to hold the election without reform. "

Source: Xinhua