Odisha: BJD Escalates MMDR Battle, Seeks President’s Intervention

Bhubaneswar: Stepping up its pressure on the Centre over the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday mounted a renewed attack, staging a dharna outside Lok Bhavan and seeking President Droupadi Murmu’s intervention to protect what it termed Odisha’s legitimate financial and constitutional rights over its mineral wealth.

The BJD accused the Centre of pushing through a legislation with far-reaching consequences for Odisha and alleged that the amended mining law could undermine the State’s financial gains from the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict on taxation of mines and mineral-bearing lands.

The party also renewed its demand for a special session of the Odisha Assembly, arguing that an issue of such enormous financial and constitutional significance cannot be allowed to pass without a detailed discussion in the State legislature.

A delegation of senior BJD leaders, including Prasanna Acharya, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Debi Prasad Mishra and Niranjan Pujari, met Odisha Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention.

The BJD urged the Governor to forward the memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking constitutional intervention against provisions which, according to the party, could deprive Odisha of the enormous financial benefits flowing from the Supreme Court judgment.

The BJD invoked the Supreme Court’s nine-judge Constitution Bench judgment recognising the power of States to levy taxes on mines and mineral-bearing lands.

According to the regional party, the verdict had opened the way for Odisha to receive more than Rs 1 lakh crore in mining arrears and around Rs 12,000 crore in additional annual revenue.

The party alleged that the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 threatens to dilute these financial gains and could strike at the State’s fiscal autonomy at a time when Odisha continues to contribute enormously to the country’s mineral-based economy.

The BJD argued that Odisha cannot be expected to remain a silent spectator while decisions concerning its mineral wealth potentially affect billions of rupees in State revenue.

The latest protest follows a strong attack on the legislation by BJD President and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, who had described the passage of the amended mining law as a “black day” for Odisha.

Naveen had urged Odisha’s BJP MPs to rise above party lines and work towards reversing the amendments, warning that the legislation could have serious consequences for the State.

In his letter to BJP MPs, Naveen pointed out that the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with less than ten minutes of discussion, despite containing provisions with “far-reaching implications” for the people of Odisha.

This was not an ordinary piece of legislation. Odisha undoubtedly will be the worst affected by this legislation, he had said.

Naveen also underscored Odisha’s extraordinary contribution to India’s economic growth, pointing out that the State accounts for nearly 44 per cent of the country’s mineral wealth and has supplied its resources for decades to build India’s steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.

India stands taller and stronger today because of the immense contribution made by Odisha and her people, he had said.

With Wednesday’s dharna, the BJD is seeking to transform the MMDR amendment into a major Odisha-versus-Centre and federal rights issue, putting the BJP-led governments at both the Centre and the State under increasing political pressure.