New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS): Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday said that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was refusing to share details of Metro ridership following its fare hike.

Sisodia said that according to preliminary reports, there has been an increase of 65,000 in the ridership of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses after the fare hike.

"If metro is only for a premium class of Delhi, then what is the point of using thousands of crores of tax money of Delhi's citizens for it?" he asked.

He questioned why the Centre was not allowing an inquiry into the hike.

The fares were increased from Tuesday despite strong opposition from the Delhi government, which had locked horns with the DMRC over the hike -- the second this year.

Addressing the media on Saturday, Sisodia asked why a company like DMRC has a problem with sharing ridership data after the fare hike.

AAP leaders had earlier claimed that increasing fares would result in a fall in ridership.

Referring to an inquiry ordered into the hike, Sisodia said: "BJP should answer this: What did BJP do in the last three years that they have a problem with an inquiry?"

Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had directed Chief Secretary M. M. Kutty to order an inquiry into the Metro fare hike.

But the central government opposed the move.

"State Government has no authority to make an inquiry into the DMRC's affairs," a letter from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to Kutty read.

On Friday, the Delhi government said that Kutty refused Kejriwal's direction to order an inquiry and added that he was working at the behest of the BJP.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that even if the central government does not allow an inquiry, a Delhi Assembly appointed committee will look into the fare hike.

Sisodia said that the metro fare hike was a conspiracy to hide a scam.