Dhaka - Former Bangladeshi premier Khaleda Zia unveiled on Saturday her party's platform for the upcoming national elections, to be held on December 29, vowing to turn parliament into an effective centre of politics and to bring to an end to the culture of boycotting parliament by opposition lawmakers.

"We will turn parliament into a centre of all political activities if we are given the chance again to serve the nation. We will take every step needed to make it effective and meaningful," Zia, head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, told a crowded press conference.

The BNP election agenda styled as "Save the Nation. Save the people" included arresting price hikes of essential commodities, improvement of law and order, economic stability, fighting corruption and terrorism, infrastructure development, power generation, enhancement of social security and cooperation in the regional forums.

Zia, who ruled the country from 1991 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006, said her party would offer the post of deputy speaker to the opposition parties, and more committee members will be drawn from the opposition benches to ensure greater parliamentary oversight.

Bangladesh witnessed political hostility between the two major parties - The Awami League and Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party - since the country retuned to parliamentary democracy in 1991.

Both the parties while in opposition frequently boycotted parliament, making the country's legislative unit almost dysfunctional in terms of ensuring accountability of the successive governments.

To make parliament effective, the BNP chief said that her party would amend the necessary laws to ensure lawmakers' presence in parliament.

She promised that the lawmakers must submit wealth statements within 30 days of the election.

She said that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must resign from the parties, from whichever they are elected as lawmakers, once they are elected to those posts to maintain neutrality in running the parliamentary affairs.

In her opening remarks, Zia criticized the military-backed interim administration, installed nearly two years ago against a backdrop of political turmoil, for violating human rights under the state of emergency and its interference in the judiciary.

The BNP's major rival, the Awami League of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday announced its election platform under the slogan "charter for change," to draw the attention of the country's some 80 million voters. (dpa)