“Our fight against price rise and inflation will continue. It is not against any individual whether it is the finance minister or the petroleum minister. It is against windfall profit (made by oil refineries),” Singh told reporters after his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“Due to shortage of steel and cement, their export is banned. We demand that export of petroleum be banned. Steel and cement and petroleum should be treated at par,” Amar Singh said.

On Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, whose removal was reportedly sought by Samajwadi Party while dealing with the United Progressive Alliance government on the nuclear deal, Amar Singh said, “he should behave as a petroleum minister and not as minister for private refineries.”

He said Deora should not have defended the windfall profits made by refineries.

“Our fight is against rising inflation. We have nothing against (Finance Minister) Chidambaram and Deora. They are personal friends,” the SP general secretary clarified.

“There is a nefarious propaganda of our opposition that we are striking a deal with the prime minister and (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi and are blackmailing,” Singh said.