With the hike, the AIADMK government, which did not have the courage to oppose the Centre for increasing the prices of petrol and diesel almost on a daily basis, had put the entire burden on the people, he charged. The government had not taken steps to increase the transport corporation’s income from advertisements in buses besides motels and courier service run by the corporations.

Demanding the immediate withdrawal of the bus fare hike, he said the transport corporations had collapsed due to mismanagement, which the state government was trying to conceal by imposing Rs 3,600 crore of fare increase under the pretext of solving the crisis. Stalin also wondered if this was an attempt to help the private bus companies, too.

The DMK leader also pointed out the irony of the government citing financial crisis as a reason for increasing fare, even as it doubled MLAs’ salaries, indulged in corruption and has been spending lavishly for celebrations and publicity.

Noting that the DMK government had not increased the fare when it was in power from 2006-2011, Stalin pointed out that the AIADMK had hiked it immediately after coming to power in 2011. The fare has been increased again to collect money so that the government could take up various contract works and indulge in corruption, he alleged.