Bangladesh's caretaker government proposed Monday that troops be immediately deployed to parts of the country torn by political violence, as the two major parties campaigned on platforms with striking similarities.
Caretaker chief Latifur Rahman held an unscheduled meeting Monday with President Shahabuddin Ahmed and proposed that the army be immediately sent into "sensitive areas," the official BSS news agency said.
Rahman said the deployment would scare away "miscreants and voters would feel secure to exercise their right of franchise.
"Frequent clashes between rival political parties are the result of the extreme intolerance of the political leadership who are determined to win the election by hook or by crook," he said.
Ahmed agreed with the assessment and said the proposal would be given due consideration.
Thousands of troops are set to be deployed around Bangladesh on September 22 ahead of the October 1 vote.
At least 70 people have been killed in political violence since Rahman took over in July, although independent estimates have put the toll higher -- DHAKA (AFP)
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