Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday skipped an Enforcement Directorate summons for questioning over alleged money laundering tied to illegal mining and dared the central agency to arrest him.

The JMM leader, who ED sources said sought three weeks’ time to appear before the agency, accused the BJP of harassing his government through federal agencies and alleged a “conspiracy” in the timing of the summons that coincided with a tribal festival. Soren urged tribals in Gujarat, whose year-end election schedule was announced on Thursday, not to vote for the BJP.

Soren addressed JMM workers who had gathered outside his residence in Ranchi on Thursday afternoon before leaving for Raipur in Chhattisgarh to attend the closing ceremony of the Adivasi Nritya Mahotsav.

A letter was delivered by an emissary from the chief minister’s secretariat to the ED office in Ranchi around 3.30pm.

“The chief minister has in the letter sought three weeks’ time to meet us for questioning. He has cited prior engagements and said he would not be able to attend today’s questioning,” said a senior ED official.

Earlier, addressing over 2,000 JMM workers, Soren dared the BJP and the federal agencies to arrest him.

“Have I murdered someone? What crime have I committed? If I have, then arrest me, why send summons? Our government is working for the state with full strength and this is troubling them (BJP). They are harassing us using courts, the CBI and the ED…,” the chief minister, who has warded off an alleged attempt to topple his government, said.

Soren said he had been invited to the Adivasi Nritya Mahotsav well in advance as chief guest and it was a “conspiracy” that he was summoned by the central agency the day he was to leave Ranchi to attend it.

“They are a party of businessmen and do not want a tribal chief minister to be honoured. They knew that I was invited as chief guest to the Adivasi Nritya Mahotsav in Raipur on Thursday and they chose the same day for issuing a summons. They do not allow tribals, Dalits and minorities to move forward. They have a feudal mindset. I appeal to the tribals of Gujarat not to vote for the BJP in this election. Their candidates should not win even a single seat reserved for tribals in Gujarat,” Soren said.

JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told reporters in Ranchi that party leaders would visit all 40 reserved Assembly constituencies in Gujarat.