Pinarayi Vijayan calls mining amendment bill "unconstitutional", targets UDF govt

Pinarayi Vijayan; Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly criticised the Centre's Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 on Friday, Aug 14 alleging that it violated the federal principles guaranteed by the Constitution and undermined the rights of states over mineral resources.

In a Facebook post, the senior CPI(M) leader said the bill sought to prevent state governments from imposing additional taxes or cess on mining rights and land containing mineral resources, calling it an "encroachment" on the interests of states.

He said land and its resources fall under the State List under Entry 18 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, and alleged that imposing central control over them amounts to a violation of the Constitution.

Vijayan urged the UDF government in Kerala to approach the Supreme Court against the amended provisions, which he said were contrary to the basic principles of the Constitution. "The question is whether the Kerala government is ready to take a stand against the Centre to protect federalism and the rights of states," he said.

Vijayan also alleged that the amendment was part of a "conspiracy" by the Centre to hand over the country's valuable mineral resources to private monopolies. According to him, the amendment sought to open up mining of strategic rare minerals to the private sector, and its objective was to weaken the public sector and enable corporates to make huge profits. He called for strong protests against the bill.

Vijayan also accused the UDF government in Kerala of "supporting" the Centre's privatisation policies. He said the white paper issued by the state government and its revised budget had proposals for complete privatisation of mineral sand mining. The UDF government's proposal to establish a "rare earth corridor" was aimed at handing over Kerala's coastal mineral resources to private monopolies, he alleged.

Vijayan also linked the alleged privatisation agenda to what he described as attempts to weaken Kerala's public sector Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML). He alleged that forcing KMML to buy more than twice its monthly requirement of raw materials from private companies at higher prices was suspicious. "An institution that can mine on its own and operate profitably is being strangled to create an opportunity for private monopolies to make huge profits," Vijayan said.

He alleged there was a planned move to gradually shut down KMML and replace it with private interests, and said such attempts should be resisted. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan had recently said the state government will oppose the amendment bill and that a decision on further steps will be taken soon.