New Delhi: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has shot off a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), threatening to initiate legal action if the summons issued to him in a money laundering case is not withdrawn “forthwith”.The central probe agency sought Soren to depose on Monday, August 14, at its regional office in Ranchi to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). However, he gave it a miss, alleging that summons is “actuated by malice and is part of the political conspiracy to destabilise the democratically elected government”, The Telegraph reported.As The Wire reported earlier, the chief minister was called for questioning for his alleged involvement in an alleged defence land scam in the state. The summons was issued to him on August 7. In fact, it was for the second time that Soren had been summoned by the central agency in connection with money laundering cases in less than a year’s time. He had also been questioned by the ED last November in connection with another money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state.Soren, in the letter, questioned the timing of the summons and the day he was called in for questioning. “Your choice of the date does not come as a surprise to the undersigned [Soren]. 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,” Soren said in the letter, which he addressed to Deovrat Jha, ED assistant director at the Ranchi office.He then went on to warn the probe agency of legal action if summons issued to him is not withdrawn. “The undersigned calls upon you to forthwith withdraw the captioned summons failing which, the undersigned shall be constrained to seek legal remedies.”Without mincing words, the chief minister said he is being “targeted” only because he does not align with the party ruling at the Centre, referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “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.”Referring to the earlier summons, of November 2022, Soren notes that he has already provided details of all movable and immovable properties owned by him and his family members along with certified copies of the title deeds. He also said he has already furnished details of his bank account and permanent account number (PAN) number. In November last year, he was questioned for over 10 hours in connection with the alleged mining scam in the state.In his letter, the chief minister also referred to an instance from 2020 where the Lokpal directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct an enquiry against his father, Shibu Soren, based on the complaint filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.“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,” he added.On August 14, a person from the office of the chief minister turned up at the regional office of the ED on Soren’s behalf and submitted a sealed envelope, PTI reported.