Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren is gearing up for a showdown with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Soren not only skipped the ED summon on August 14 in connection with a money-laundering case, but also shot off a letter addressed to the ED assistant director, Ranchi office, Deovrat Jha, on Monday threatening to take legal action if the summons is not withdrawn.

Citing the summons of August 7 asking him to appear before the ED on August 14 “for recording statements in respect of the properties owned, possessed and occupied... and the sources of acquisition of the properties”, Soren’s letter sarcastically stated: “Your choice of the date does not come as a surprise to the undersigned. You and your political masters are fully aware that being the Chief Minister, the undersigned is scheduled to hoist the National Flag.... Preparations for the Independence Day function start a week before and August 14 is an important day for the same when many meetings are pre-scheduled.... The captioned summons... is deliberate and part of the design to besmirch the reputation not only of the undersigned but also the elected government.”

“In fact, central agencies have been targeting the undersigned for over a year now only because the undersigned is not aligned with the political party which is in power at the Centre,” the letter adds.

“The undersigned calls upon you to forthwith withdraw the captioned summons failing which, the undersigned shall be constrained to seek legal remedies,” the letter signed by Soren says.

Soren reminded the ED of the summon of November 17, 2022, and mentioned that he had already provided all the details.

“As required by you, the undersigned has duly provided details of all movable and immovable properties owned by him and his family members along with certified copies of the title deeds.... The undersigned has also furnished details of his bank account and PAN No,” the letter states.

The letter alleges that the summon is actuated by malice and is part of the political conspiracy to destabilise the democratically elected government.

In November, Soren was questioned by the ED for nearly 10 hours in a money-laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining.

Soren’s letter says: “In 2020 the Lokpal directed the CBI to conduct an enquiry on the basis of a complaint filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against the undersigned’s father Shibu Soren. However, in the course of such enquiry, the CBI has wrongfully and illegally carried out an inquiry into the immovable assets owned by the undersigned. It may be in your interest to obtain a report from CBI on the undersigned’s immovable assets.”