New Delhi [India], August 27 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj's residence, with AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha accusing the agency of harassing Bhardwaj's family in what he described as 'political revenge.'

Jha said that the searches had been ongoing for 17 hours and questioned the purpose of the investigation.

Speaking to ANI, Sanjeev Jha said, '...It has been 17 hours and the ED team is carrying out the search...What is the ED investigating?... They want to scare us... Family of (Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj) is being harassed only out of political revenge...'

Delhi AAP State General Secretary Adil Ahmad Khan questioned the purpose of the investigation and accused the BJP of plotting against Saurabh Bhardwaj.

Khan said the party will not be intimidated, and said that they will never be able to suppress the voice of AAP.

'ED has been raiding the residence of Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj for the last 16-17 hours... What are they investigating?... Is BJP plotting against Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj?... We will not be afraid... They will never be able to suppress the voice of AAP,' Khan said.

Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi also alleged that the 'ridiculous' raids by the Enforcement Directorate on party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj's residence were '100 per cent fake' and a strategy to divert attention from the row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's education degree.

'These raids are 100% fake because at the time when this matter pertained, Saurabh Bharadwaj was not even a minister. He became a minister two years later. This is ridiculous... These raids are fake and a strategy to divert attention from PM Modi's fake degree issue. This is to threaten the AAP. The AAP has not committed a single rupee of corruption... No matter how many raids are conducted, AAP is 'Kattar Imaandar'... We are not scared of these raids...' Atishi said while addressing a press conference in the national capital.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Central Agency conducted searches at the residence of former Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in hospital construction projects in the national capital.

The raids began early morning at 13 locations, including Bhardwaj's residence, across the Delhi-NCR region, based on a certain tip-off in connection with the case.

The search operations were carried out under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). (ANI)