April 19: The Election Commission of India has roasted the Bengal chief secretary for replying on behalf of Mamata Banerjee to a showcause and for casting aspersions on the panel, asking him to explain in 48 hours his choice of language.

This afternoon, the commission sent two letters in quick succession to chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee, unleashing one of the fiercest fusillades directed at a civil servant in recent memory.

One letter dealt with Banerjee's reply to the showcause notice served on Mamata for promising a separate Asansol district while the other was related to his response to the commission's order to remove the then Calcutta police commissioner. Both letters, sent by the EC's principal secretary, made pointed references to the language of the chief secretary's replies.

A sample from the commission's letter on the police chief: "Such observation is uncalled for and unbecoming of a civil servant and is an apparent attempt to abdicate the role and responsibility of the state government....

"You are hereby advised to refrain from using such language in future correspondence with the commission."

The first letter from the commission shredded Mamata's and Trinamul's full-throated insistence that the chief secretary was well within his right to respond on her behalf. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged the issue on Sunday in Calcutta.

Mamata's defence was that the showcause was addressed to "the chief minister". But Mamata had addressed the rally where she made the promise as a Trinamul leader, not chief minister.

The commission said so in its letter. "The notice was issued by the commission to Mamata Banerjee in her capacity as a leader of a political party... during her election campaign for the party and not the state government," the letter said.

The commission told the chief secretary that it was "not appropriate for you to have responded" to the notice, "not only offering explanation on behalf of Mamata Banerjee... but also defending her action...".

The commission reminded the IAS officer: "You will kindly note that (the model code of conduct) specifically provides that no cause is given for any complaint that the ruling party and the ministers have used their official position for the purpose of their election campaigns. By writing the letter by the orders of the chief minister, the above provision also has not been duly observed."

Towards the end of the letter, the commission took strong exception to a sub-paragraph in the chief secretary's letter "casting aspersion on the commission". The letter added: "Please clarify to the commission why such language was used by you by 5pm" on April 21.

Sources in Calcutta said the paragraph mentioned that the decision to create a separate Asansol district was approved by the state cabinet on December 18, 2015 and it was in the public domain. But the paragraph added that it would have been "prudent" of the EC to recheck public records before sending showcause notices.

The showcause would not have created a controversy had Mamata stated her case that the decision was taken four months ago and she had merely repeated it in Asansol. Instead, she had launched a tirade against the commission, lent credibility to charges that bureaucrats are being reduced to pliable minions and exposed her administration to ridicule.

The commission today asked Mamata to respond to the showcause by April 22 evening. This time, the commission addressed her as the chairperson of Trinamul and the fresh notice was sent to her residence. The earlier notice had been sent to Nabanna, the state secretariat.

Basudeb Banerjee, a La Martiniere for Boys alumnus, is known as a genial and soft-spoken officer. But it is not hard to guess the source of the inspiration for the language the chief secretary chose and the tone he set while replying to the commission.

The other letter of the commission specifically quoted a sentence from Basudeb Banerjee's reply to its order to transfer the then Calcutta police commissioner Rajeev Kumar.

Expressing dismay at the tone and tenor, the commission referred particularly to the chief secretary's observation that "this transfer will adversely affect the morale of the force and the state government should not be held responsible for any fallout arising out of this...."

This observation had prompted the commission to tell the chief secretary that it was "unbecoming of a civil servant" and it was "an apparent attempt at abdication of responsibility...".

Contacted, Basudeb Banerjee said this evening: "We will send a reply to the commission's letter within the stipulated time frame."

Additional reporting by Meghdeep Bhattacharyya and Pranesh Sarkar