The letter war between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) intensified on Sunday with CAB president Jamgohan Dalmiya demanding that the Board withdraw its latest missive withholding subsidies and payments to the affiliate unit and tender an unconditional apology.
Alleging that the BCCI is following the doctrines of "unfairness" and "bad faith" in its acts and conducts, Dalmiya threatened to take "necessary steps as I may be legally advised" against Board secretary Niranjan Shah if he does 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 on Sunday.
Shah's June 29 letter stated that the Board 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 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.
"Until the grant of necessary inspection for all documents and papers, the question of giving a reply to the alleged purported wrongful show cause notice does not arise," Dalmiya said.
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 chief - and the Board has been raging since Dalmiya's nominee Ranbir Singh Mahendra lost out to union minister Sharad Pawar at the BCCI Annual General Meeting last November.
The BCCI has already suspended Dalmiya from attending Board meetings, besides issuing two show cause notices to him and filing an FIR 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.
