Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has claimed that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was involved in the tur dal scam, as the latter had “lifted a ban on hoarding of pulses”.

Mr Chavan demanded a probe by a retired judge of high court into the entire decision-making process and the role of the chief minister, the minister for food and civil supply Girish Bapat and the secretary for marketing.

Speaking on half hour motion in the state Assembly on the last day of the ongoing budget session, Mr Chavan said that Mr Fadnavis and Mr Bapat could come under scanner in the Rs 4,000-crore tur dal scam.

In a systematic manner, Mr Chavan exposed the decision-making process of the lifting of ban on hoarding of dal. “The rate of dal was Rs 84 per kg in 2014. Mr Fadnavis and Mr Bapat lifted the ban on hoarding on April 23, 2015,” he pointed out.

He said, “Gujarat had lifted the ban on September 30 2013, but it did not result in the increase in the rate of dal. Hence, the decision taken by chief minister and food and civil supply minister and their involvement is suspicious,” Mr Chavan said, adding more than Rs 4,000 crore was snatched from the pocket of the common man.

“Several traders and their union demanded that the ban be lifted during our tenure, but we didn’t take any such decision,” he said.

Mr Chavan revealed that the original six-page note of the government had mentioned that the ban on edible oil and oilseeds would be lifted. However, when the note was sent for the approval of the secretary (marketing), lifting of ban on pulses was added to the original note. Later, Mr Bapat and Mr Fadnavis signed this note.

Mr Chavan asked, “Who ordered the secretary to add pulses to the note Who was behind it ” He also questioned the role of the secretary, for whom the decision was allegedly taken. The secretary to food and civil supply department was not aware about these changes, he pointed out.

After this decision, the rate of tur dal shot up and reached Rs 130 per kg. The state consumes 800 tonnes of dal per day. If the dal was sold at the rate of an additional Rs 100 per kg, then traders would have earned a profit of Rs 4,000 crore, the former chief minister alleged.