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The war of words between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Cricket Association of Bengal has intensified. Jamgohan Dalmiya, the CAB president, demanded today that the BCCI withdraw its latest missive witholding subsidies and payments to the affiliate unit and tender an unconditional apology.
He also threatened to take "necessary steps as I may be legally advised" against Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, if he did not comply with his demands.
"If the acts and conduct of BCCI, including contents of your letter of June 29 are considered, it would be explicitly clear that the BCCI is following the doctrines of unfairness and bad faith, apart from acting arbitrarily and capriciously," Dalmiya said in the strongly-worded letter addressed to Shah. "Without prejudice and reserving all my accrued rights and entitlements, you are hereby called upon to withdraw your letter under reference and tender an unconditional apology forthwith.
"In the event of non-compliance, appropriate steps, as I may be legally advised, would be initiated against you personally at your peril and consequences," said the letter released to the media during the day.
Shah's June 29 letter stated that the BCCI had decided to withhold payments and subsidies to the CAB in the light of allegations of misappropriation of funds against Dalmiya and said that since he had had not given a reply to the second show-cause notice from the BCCI on April 15, the matter would be referred to the Board's disciplinary committee. The allegations pertained to the operations of the account number 1223 at Indian Overseas Bank's Bhowanipore branch in Kolkata.
Dalmiya claimed that he could not reply to the show cause notice as his authorised representative was allowed to inspect only about 20 per cent of the total documents and records related to the show cause. "It is a matter of record and indisputable fact that as on date, I have not been provided with either any intimation for inspection of (remaining) documents or copies of the same," he said. "Until the grant of necessary inspection for all documnts and papers, the quesiton of giving a reply to the alleged purported wrongful show cause notice does not arise."
Describing as false and frivolous Shah's charge that he had failed to reply to the show cause, Dalmiya said "the chain of motivated and capricious acts and conduct of the BCCI depict an arbitrary and malafide game plan".
The battle between Dalmiya - a former BCCI president - and the Board has been raging since Dalmiya's nominee Ranbir Singh Mahendra lost out to Sharad Pawar at the BCCI AGM last November. The BCCI has already suspended Dalmiya from attending Board meetings, besides issuing two show cause notices to him. A FIR was also filed in a Mumbai police station against him with regard to the IOB account relating to the 1996 World Cup organised by the Pakistan-India-Lanka Committee (PILCOM), of which Dalmiya was the convenor. [/quote:1u2u2lhi]
And so it continues...