Slamming Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader for his statement threatening to pour uranium on the heads of opposition leaders, BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas on Tuesday said it was a threat to kill the senior BNP leaders.

"Obaidul Quader has said they would calm us down by pouring uranium on our heads instead of beating us with sticks. I would like to ask him: do you have any idea about what uranium is and its types. It’s the delusion of an insane person,” he said.

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Speaking at a discussion meeting, the BNP leader said people can die from the side effects of uranium if it is poured on someone.

“So are you not threatening to kill (BNP leaders)? You threatened to kill Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas. I want to say clearly that you have threatened to kill some of our standing committee members,” he said.

Jihad Smriti Parishad arranged the discussion programme at the Jatiya Press Club in memory of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activist Nazir Uddin Ahmed Jihad, who was shot dead in Dhaka on October 10, 1990, during the anti-Ershad movement.

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Earlier on Monday, Obaidul Quader at a programme of Awami League’s Dhaka north city unit warned that they will pour uranium on the heads of BNP leaders if they try to shut the Rooppur power plant.

“Two shipments of uranium have already arrived in the country from Russia. We’ll pour some of the uranium on the heads of Fakhrul, Moyeen Khan, Gayeshwar, Abbas and crazy Rizvi. Whoever does excess, we will calm them down by pouring uranium on their heads instead of beating them with sticks," Quader said.

Abbas recalled that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier threatened to drop BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia into the river from the Padma Bridge, saying: “We didn’t forget it. You’ve now issued a threat of uranium…what have you started? Do politics and speak in political language and learn how to speak with political etiquette.”

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Abbas warned that they would take legal action against the ruling party leaders for such despicable remarks.  “We won’t spare them (AL leaders) this time,” he said.

He claimed that the BNP is a party of decent people while the Awami League is a party of uncivilised people.  “We (BNP leaders) also know how to use abusive words, but we don’t do that as BNP is a party of gentlemen.”

The BNP leader called upon BNP leaders and activists to take to the streets with fresh vigour and courage to oust the Awami League regime.