BJD steps up campaign over mineral rights and revenue concerns; Naveen Patnaik seeks state-backed move against the amendment
BHUBANESWAR: The debate over the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 has emerged as a major political issue in Odisha, with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) questioning the possible impact of the amended mining law on the state’s financial interests and mineral-related powers.BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take up the issue through the Odisha Assembly and seek a unanimous resolution calling for withdrawal of the amendment. Patnaik has argued that the legislation could affect the state’s constitutional and financial interests connected with mineral resources.The former chief minister has also questioned the role of Odisha’s 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs during the passage of the legislation. According to Patnaik and other BJD leaders, the MPs supported the amendment despite the party’s contention that it could adversely affect Odisha. The claim represents the BJD’s political position and is disputed by the BJP side.At the centre of the controversy is the question of how the amended framework could affect the state’s ability to derive revenue from mineral-bearing land and mineral resources. BJD has linked the issue to the 2024 Supreme Court ruling that recognised the states’ authority to impose taxes on mineral-bearing lands.The Union Ministry of Mines, however, has presented a different interpretation. The ministry has said that the amendment does not take away states’ rights over land or minerals and does not remove their power to levy taxes on minerals. It has also stated that around 90 per cent of taxes and statutory payments from mining currently accrue to states and that this arrangement will continue under the amended framework.The disagreement has consequently moved beyond mining policy and into a wider debate over state revenue, federal powers and control over mineral resources.The BJD has decided to continue raising the issue inside the Odisha Assembly and has demanded a resolution seeking withdrawal of the amendment. The party has also announced plans for a wider political campaign on the matter.With both sides presenting sharply different interpretations of the law’s financial implications, the MMDR amendment is now set to remain a prominent issue in Odisha’s political discourse.
GTNS, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026