Thiruvananthapuram, May 15 -- Former Keralam Chief Minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday strongly criticised the Centre's decision to increase fuel prices, describing it as a "cruel betrayal of the people" at a time when citizens are already struggling with rising living costs and inflation.

Today, the Centre hiked the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre with Brent crude price hovering above USD 100 per barrel amid the West Asia crisis.

In a statement from Vijayan's office, the senior CPI(M) leader said that the hike in petrol and diesel prices would place an additional burden on ordinary people who are facing severe financial pressure due to increasing prices of essential commodities and daily exp...