Naveen Patnaik leads BJD protest against MMDR Amendment Act

Addressing party workers, the BJD supremo argued that the people of Odisha remain the rightful owners of the state’s mineral-rich land. He accused the ruling BJP of bypassing parliamentary debate to push through the bill, while simultaneously questioning the silence of Odisha’s 20 BJP MPs. Patnaik confirmed he has repeatedly written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi requesting a special session of the Assembly to pass a resolution against the Act, though he says his appeals have been met with silence.

BJD leaders contend that the amendment undermines a hard-won legal victory. Last year, a nine-judge Supreme Court bench upheld Odisha’s right to tax its own mineral wealth, a position the party claims the 2026 amendment now renders moot. BJD Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra warned that the state, which holds 44% of India’s mineral resources, faces losses amounting to thousands of crores in annual revenue. While the Ministry of Mines maintains that 90% of mining taxes will continue to accrue to the states, the BJD has pledged to sustain its agitation until the legislation is repealed, framing the issue as a fundamental struggle for Odisha’s economic autonomy.