Patnaik urges BJP MPs from Odisha to call for reversal of mining law amendments

BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday wrote to BJP MPs from Odisha, urging them to call for reversal of the MMDR Act amendments that seek to restrict States’ powers to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land parcels.

Patnaik, who is also the leader of the opposition in the State Assembly, appealed to the MPs of the ruling party to safeguard the interests of people who elected them to Parliament.

“I earnestly appeal to you (BJP MPs) to listen to your conscience and think about the future generations of Odisha. I appeal to you to challenge and call for a reversal of the amendment made in the MMDR Act that takes away the powers of the State Government,” Patnaik said in the letter.

He also said August 13, which saw the passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha with Odisha BJP MPs’ support, was a “black day” for the State.

Noting that Parliament is the highest temple of Indian democracy, Patnaik said MPs are the voice of Odisha in this tallest forum of democracy.

“The people of Odisha elected you in good faith to protect their interests. It is therefore a matter of utmost concern that you voted in favour of one of the most arbitrary legislations that will have far-reaching adverse implications for the people of Odisha who put their trust in you,” the BJD chief said in the letter.

The Bill was passed with “less than ten minutes of discussion in the Lok Sabha”, despite having provisions with far-reaching implications for the people of Odisha, he said.

“This was not an ordinary piece of legislation,” he mentioned in the letter.

Parliament had, earlier this month, passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.

Patnaik had earlier written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, requesting him to convene a special session of the assembly to deliberate on the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026.

Apart from financial losses, Patnaik mentioned in the letter that the “bigger loss is that in a single legislative stroke, the control over our own minerals and our mineral-bearing lands was taken away from us. And this happened under your watch”.

Patnaik said, “This law is an injustice to the children and youth of Odisha, whose future is linked to the resources and opportunities of this state. It is an injustice to the people of Odisha who bear the pollution, displacement, environmental degradation and the hazards and hardships of mining.”

The BJD chief alleged that the new mining law is an “injustice to the dream of an empowered Odisha, that has the confidence and resources to determine its own future”.

Patnaik said that history remembers and honours those who raise their voice when injustice is done to the people and the resources.

“History will judge you (BJP MPs) not by the party you stood with, but by whether you stood up for Odisha when it mattered most,” he said in the letter.

“You are standing at a historic juncture with a choice to stand and fight for the state and the people who sent you to the Lok Sabha with a mandate to protect their interests. I leave it to your judgment,” Patnaik said in the letter to BJP MPs.

Odisha has 21 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 10 members in the Rajya Sabha. While the BJP won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Congress secured one seat.

In the Rajya Sabha, both BJD and BJP have five members each.