Addressing a press conference, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik alleged that Bapat had allowed hoarders to store the pulses for six months.
"So far, about 98,000 metric tonnes of dal has been seized from hoarders, which is valued at Rs 2,000 crore.
"As per the Essential Commodities Act, the government has the power to sell off the seized dal to PDS shops at cheap rates. But the government deliberately gave the dal back to the hoarders to sell it to consumers at Rs 200 per kg. Under which law is this permissible?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Bapat could not be contacted for his comments in the matter despite several attempts.