Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Friday opposed the fuel price hike and urged the Union government to roll back the hike immediately.In a statement, Mr. Vijay said that it was unacceptable, contending that it would severely affect the buying capacity of the poor and the downtrodden. He pointed that the oil marketing companies do not decrease the prices of fuel when the crude oil prices fall and instead realised the profits. The hike in fuel prices especially after the Assembly election in some States and Union territory was unacceptable.“The monthly income of the poor, the downtrodden and the middle class, who use two-wheelers and mini buses would be affected,” Mr. Vijay said. Those who obtained loans to operate vehicles would be forced to incur additional expenditure and their economy would be affected too,” the CM said.Due to the rise in the prices of fuel, the vehicle rentals are also set to increase, the CM said. “It would increase inflation and it would affect the purchasing power of the poor and the downtrodden.” Mr. Vijay further said that the manufacturing cost in the MSME sector would go up and it would lead to stagnation in the market and affect the export of goods. Published - May 15, 2026 07:46 pm IST