TIRUCHY: State Transport and Electricity Minister SS Sivasankar appealed to the people not to believe any rumours as the government will never hike the bus fare at any cost.

Speaking to reporters in Ariyalur on Tuesday, Sivasankar said that, despite the government repeatedly refuting the information about the bus fare hike, some mischief-mongers have been spreading the false news regularly to defame the ruling dispensation.

“Chief Minister MK Stalin has clearly instructed the ministers not to burden the people under any circumstances, and so it is my duty to reassure the people that the bus fare will never be increased at any cost,” the minister said.

Referring to the former AIADMK minister A Anwhar Raajhaa, who joined the DMK that the BJP has been trying to encroach on the AIADMK and fill the vacuum with the BJP, the minister said that the BJP has been following this in every election, and they have ‘caught’ the AIADMK now, and the fate of the party would be seen by the people after the election.

“Edappadi K Palaniswami declared that the AIADMK will never align with the BJP even during the 2036 elections, but now, he has been keeping quiet and obeys the orders of the union minister Amit Shah,” he said.

Earlier, the transport minister inaugurated as many as 34 new developmental projects worth Rs 9.28 crore.

MLA K Chinnappa and others were present.