Dhaka, Jan. 20 -- Senior BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has described the parliamentary election as a "hard test" for Bangladesh.

He believes the polls will determine whether the nation remains in the hands of liberal democrats or falls to anti-state extremists.

The BNP secretary general made these observations on Tuesday afternoon during a discussion meeting at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka's Kakrail.

Speaking on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the party's founder, Ziaur Rahman, Fakhrul said the party is eager for the election to see which way the public leans.

He noted that if the people accept the BNP, they will govern, and if rejected, they will serve as the opposition. He also question...