Presidential hopeful Rizal Ramli was questioned by police Tuesday for a second time as a suspect in last year's protests against fuel price increases, which became violent.

A former chief economic minister who has declared his presidential bid, Rizal was grilled about what police considered to be "provocative speeches" he had made prior to the demonstration in June 2008.

The investigators focused on particular phrases in speeches asking people to rally against the government when it planned to increase fuel prices, Rizal said after his seven-hour session at National Police headquarters.

"It is almost ridiculous as they want me to remember exactly word by word the speeches I gave. I don't see any point being made in the interrogation," he told reporters.

The questioning aimed at scrutinizing the speeches the suspect made during discussions and meetings organized by the Indonesia Rise Committee (KIB) which is led by Rizal.

He dismissed his interrogation as "baseless", while many believed the probe was highly politically motivated ahead of the 2009 elections.

For the sake of impartiality in the investigation, Rizal said, the police should also summon other figures who attended some of the gatherings.

"They should also question former Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Maarif, political personality Taufik Kiemas, former military commander Wiranto and former vice president Try Sutrisno who were all in attendance. So how come it is only me who is being brought to a legal process," he said as quoted by Tempointeraktive.com.

Rizal was named a suspect last week following his earlier testimony at the trial of KBI secretary general Ferry Yuliantoro at the Central Jakarta District Court. That defendant was similarly charged with inciting violent protests, in which activists and students pulled down the fence of the House of Representatives and burnt a car outside the nearby Atma Jaya University.

National police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira denied any political motives behind the legal charges against Rizal, who was the coordinating minister for the economy during the Abdurrahman Wahid administration.

"We declare him a suspect in this case based on clear evidence. So let's wait and see where the investigation process may lead us," Abubakar said.