DHAKA, 31 July  — Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed, in her first public rally since leaving office, warned yesterday of street action if the caretaker government failed to hold elections by early October. She said that the people would launch a mass movement if they feared there was any conspiracy afoot to delay or interfere with elections due in October. She alleged that a caretaker authority in charge of organizing parliamentary elections was “spending time on other business, which set off suspicion about its neutrality”.

“People will not tolerate any conspiracy to delay or frustrate the elections,” Hasina told an estimated 100,000 workers and supporters of her Awami League at a rally in Dhaka. “They will launch a movement to make sure the elections are held in time in a free and impartial manner,” she said.

Her supporters, many carrying placards and replicas of a boat, Awami League’s traditional election symbol, danced to the beat of drums and chanted “Vote for Hasina, save democracy”.

Hasina transferred power to the caretaker authority headed by former Chief Justice Latifur Rahman at the end of her five-year rule on July 15, in line with a constitutional requirement. It was the first time in Bangladesh’s history that a government had served its full term.

Hasina criticized the “random transfer” of civil servants and the appointment of “controversial” people as Rahman’s advisers, saying the moves had sparked fear the vote would not be fair. “Why are you doing these things? You have a constitutional mandate only to hold the elections within three months,” she said. She said she would regain power if the vote was free.

She also blasted the interim authority for not being able to stop the violence which she alleged her political rivals were responsible for. Hasina said up to 30 of her supporters had been killed and hundreds injured by militants from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of her predecessor and main rival, Khaleda Zia.

Khaleda told a meeting with professionals including teachers, engineers, businessmen and lawyers yesterday that the Awami League was trying to foil the elections by obstructing administrative reforms undertaken by the caretaker government. “They are doing it because they have no chance to win the elections,” Khaleda said.