Opposition parties in Bihar on Sunday resolved to make tomorrow's 'Bharat Bandh', called by the Congress in protest against spiralling fuel prices, a "grand success".
Opposition leaders from Congress, RJD, HAM(S), Samajwadi Party, NCP held a joint press conference at Sadaquat Ashram here - the Congress' state headquarter - and appealed to the various trade and industry bodies to make the bandh a grand success.
Prominent leaders who addressed the joint press conference included Bihar Congress acting president Kaukab Qadri, senior Congress leaders Sadanand Singh, M M Jha, RJD Bihar chief Ram Chandra Purbey, HAM(S) state chief Vrishin Patel, Samajwadi Party Bihar unit chief and former union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav.
They said that medicine shops, medical services, ambulances and school buses will be kept out of tomorrow's bandh.
Bihar Congress acting president Kaukab Qadri said the price of petrol and diesel were Rs 71.41 and Rs 55.49 per litre respectively, when the crude oil price was USD 107 per barrel during the UPA regime on May 16, 2014 whereas the price of petrol and diesel is currently Rs 86 and Rs 78 per litre when the crude oil price is USD 73 a barrel.
Qadri said the price of LPG cylinder has gone up by Rs 340 in the past 52 months of Modi regime, and the railway fare which was Rs 6 per km has now gone up to Rs 9 per km.
"The BJP government has nothing to do with the burning issues like fuel price hike or general price hike that concern every common man. We, along with other opposition parties including Left parties, will hit the streets tomorrow to protest against the steepest-ever fuel price hike. We will also appeal to transport association, various trade and industry bodies and people to make the bandh a grand success," Qadri said.
In reply to a query whether or not he would appeal to JD(U), which seemed annoyed with the BJP on fuel price issue, to come along with opposition parties, Qadri said that "Why would I appeal to JD(U) as they are very much part of the ruling alliance. I would ask them (JDU) to exert pressure to cut excise duty to give relief to common men."
RJD Bihar unit chief Ram Chandra Purbey said that the party has already asked its workers and leaders right from block to district levels to participate in the bandh to make it a grand success.
HAM(S) state unit chief Vrishin Patel asserted that "tomorrow's bandh will send a message to the Modi govenrment that we will emerge as 'aandhi' (storm) which will make the government bite the dust."
Bihar SP chief Devendra Prasad Yadav said that bandh will prove to be a "milestone".
"The situaton has worsened because of the central government's poor and anti-farmer and anti-poor policies," Yadav said.
Senior Bihar Congress leader and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said he would appeal to people not to send their children to school tomorrow as a precautionary measure.
The bandh will be observed between 9 am to 3 pm during which leaders and workers from opposition parties would hit the streets requesting people to cooperate and support the bandh.
The opposition parties will be holding torch light march at 6.30 pm at various places in the state capital in order to make people aware about tomorrow's bandh, Mishra said.
Meanwhile, left parties- which had already given separate call for Bharat Bandh for tomorrow on the issue of fuel price hike, also held a joint meeting in this regard in the state capital on Sunday.
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