Under pressure from the Cricket Board, former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Wednesday resigned from the post of the president of Cricket Association of Bengal but promised to soon bounce back into reckoning.
In a letter to the members of the Working Committee of the CAB, Dalmiya said he had decided to resign due to what he alleged as "a pre-determined and vindictive attitude of the current regime of the BCCI".
Dalmiya, who had been expelled for life by the BCCI earlier this month, said he would continue to fight against "injustice" on his own accord saying: "I am sure my stand would be fully vindicated through the process of law in which I have full confidence."
He also promised to stage a comeback adding, "I am confident that I will fully regain the opportunity to continue to serve the game of cricket with full honour."
Dalmiya, who has been controlling the affairs of CAB for almost 25 years, also proposed that former BCCI president Biswanath Dutt would be the right person to head CAB in these difficult circumstances.
He said that he had appealed to Dutta to accept the charge of CAB.
Dalmiya's resignation came ahead of this evening's crucial Working Committee meeting of the CAB, in which the issue of Dalmiya's expulsion for life by BCCI was to be taken up as per which he could no longer continue as an office-bearer of any affiliate.
Dalmiya launched a scathing attack on the BCCI, which filed an FIR against him besides serving two show cause notices relating to alleged discrepancy in the accounts of the PILCOM (Pakistan India Lanka Organising Committee of the 1996 World Cup).
"Even after failing to substantiate any charge against me in any court of law, the present regime of BCCI has not only decided to expel me but has also taken a number of motivated steps to cause serious harm and prejudice to the game of cricket in Bengal," he said.
Denying the charges levelled at him, Dalmiya said, "the BCCI has no power or authority to take any action on the basis of the alleged rules, especially against persons holding offices in any of its affiliated units".
The reference was to rule 38 (V) of the BCCI constitution which debars persons expelled from the board from associating in any capacity with an affiliate unit.
Dalmiya has claimed that the rule was non-existent as it was not registered in time.
Alleging that cricket in Bengal was being "threatened and hounded owing to pre-determined and vindictive moves of the present (BCCI) regime," the letter expressed confidence that the CAB would not "bow down to any uncalled for and unjustified pressure as well as vindictive actions of the present BCCI regime."
Dalmiya, a former president of the International Cricket Council as well as BCCI, began his run as CAB administrator in 1977 as the organisation's treasurer.
In 1980, he was elevated to secretary (1980-84) before functioning as vice-president (1984-88) and executive president (1989-92). In July 1992, he became CAB president and remained at the helm uninterruptedly till his resignation today.
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