Patna: Leaders of the Grand Alliance vowed to make the Bharat Bandh against high fuel prices a success in Bihar, but also said the bandh would be effective from 9am to 3pm "to ensure that people are not inconvenienced".

The leaders said the bandh would be peaceful, but also suggested that students avoid going to school on Monday.

Essential services such as medical facilities and ambulances will not be disrupted.

The leaders who congregated at Sadaquat Ashram included Bihar Congress president in-charge Kaukab Quadri, Congress leaders Sadanand Singh, Madan Mohan Jha and Prem Chandra Mishra, RJD leaders Ram Chandra Purbey and Alok Mehta, Samajwadi Party (SP) state president Devendra Prasad Yadav, HAMS leader Brishen Patel, Loktantrik Janata Dal state general secretary Shivshankar Kushwaha, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) state general secretary Manoj Kumar, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunil Kumar Singh.

"The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has shut its ears to the woes of the people and is sleeping like Kumbhakaran (Ravan's brother in the Ramayan)," Quadri said.

He pointed out that in the UPA regime, petrol was sold at Rs 73 per litre and diesel at 55.49 per litre even when crude oil had touched $107 per barrel but now, when crude oil is around $73 dollars per barrel, petrol has crossed Rs 86 while diesel is around Rs 78.

"The excise duty on petroleum products has been revised 12 times in the four years of Modi's government, while cooking gas has seen a hike of Rs 340 per cylinder during this period. The BJP is not paying attention to these things," the Congress leader said.

The Left parties held a separate meeting at Janshakti Bhavan here and expressed solidarity with the bandh call.