Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the leader of the opposition to refrain from pressing hartal on the days of Bangladesh Games begins Saturday.

She also urged Begum Zia not to ruin the academic career of the students by enforcing hartal on the days of their examinations.

The Prime Minister said while addressing the leaders of Bangladesh Krishak League, farmer front of Bangladesh Awami League, marking its 41st founding anniversary at a function at Gonobhaban here in the evening.

Leaders of Bangladesh Krishak League greeted the Prime Minister, also their supreme organizational leader, by presenting bouquet of flowers, marking the occasion.

Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, joint secretary of Bangladesh Awami League Mahbubul Alam Hanif and secretary of the organization advocate Shamsul Haque Reza spoke, among others, on the occasion while President Motahar Hossain Mollah was in the chair.

The Prime Minister said one of the basic differences between Awami League and BNP is that-We want to make Bangladesh a self-reliant country in food production while BNP wants to keep the country dependent on foreign support.

Highlighting the programmes of the present government taken for development of agriculture, she said, the present government has come to power for changing the lots of people, not doing business.

She said the government has attached importance to research on agriculture and introduction of modern machinery to agriculture to increase production.

The Prime Minister congratulated the leaders and workers of Krishak League marking the organization's founding anniversary and urged them to stand beside the farmers.

Ends/AMA/19/04/13