Article: Chennai, Sept 28 (PTI) The prices of petroleum products were being hiked frequently by the central government only to 'benefit some private refineries' in the country and 'there is definitely some conspiracy' behind these moves, Tamil Nadu finance m inister C Ponnaiyan said today.

"There are many public and private refineries operating in the country. Instead of hiking the prices of petrol and diesel frequently in the guise of spurt in international crude oil prices, the oil companies can very well reduce their profit margins', Ponnaiyan said in an intervention during the debate on the supplementary demands in the assembly today.

Congress legislature party leader and former Union Minister, S R Balasubramoniam, participating in the debate, defended the hike, saying that the international crude oil prices had gone up from ...

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