Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, heading a JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in the poll-bound state, has accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of working as an “active political worker” of the BJP.

Hemant shared this statement before reporters at the state secretariat before attending a cabinet meeting in Ranchi on Monday. He was asked to comment on the ED raids at the residence of Jharkhand drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Thakur’s personal secretary Harendra Singh, minister’s brother Vinay Thakur, bureaucrat and department secretary Manish Ranjan and several departmental engineers at different locations in the state on Monday.

Sources in the ED informed that raids have been conducted on allegations of money laundering following irregularities in the Centre's Jal Jeevan Mission scheme (aiming to provide tap drinking water facilities to all rural households) implementation in the state.

Raids were conducted in nearly 20 locations spread across Chaibasa, Ranchi and Garhwa all linked to the state drinking water and sanitation department.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his public address at Hazaribagh earlier this month had taken a dig at the Jharkhand government for indulging in corruption even in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme.

Hemant who himself faced the ED heat earlier this year and had to be in judicial custody for nearly five months over alleged money laundering charges pertaining to land scam in Ranchi before being released on bail claimed that the ED had been used before the election.

“Now that the Assembly poll are approaching, the ED raids are not unexpected in an Opposition-ruled state like ours. The ED is acting as an active political worker of BJP along with active senior leaders of BJP from other states,” said Hemant.

Thakur who represents the Garhwa Assembly seat alleged that the searches were politically motivated as he refused to bow to the pressure of the saffron brigade to ditch the JMM and join the BJP.