THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has lashed out at the strike staged by the opposition against the introduction of a fuel cess in the state. The Chief Minister said in a press conference that those who gave power to the oil companies to increase fuel prices in the country are now protesting against fuel cess.

"The government has explained in the Assembly the situation in which cess had to be introduced. The central government is trying to destroy Kerala economically. The opposition in the state is supporting it. People will not take the agitations by UDF and BJP at face value," the CM said.

"Congress is the party that even changed the ministers during the term of the second UPA government for Reliance. In the 2015 budget, the UDF government in Kerala had introduced an additional tax of Rs.1. Back then, fuel price was only half of what it is today," he added.