Naveen Patnaik urges BJP MPs to seek reversal of mining Act amendment

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Former Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik on Saturday (August 292026) urged Odisha’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs to challenge and call for a reversal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026.

“August 13, 2026, which saw the passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha with your support, was a black day for Odisha. 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,” Mr. Patnaik said in a letter addressed to BJP MPs from Odisha.

“This was not an ordinary piece of legislation. Odisha undoubtedly will be the worst affected by this legislation. As you are well aware, Odisha accounts for nearly 44% of India’s mineral wealth. For decades, Odisha has contributed its mineral wealth to the building of India’s steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors,” he mentioned.

“India stands taller and stronger today because of the immense contribution made by Odisha and her people. The estimated annual loss would be more than ₹12,000 crore, leading to lakhs of crores of rupees over time. But 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,” Mr. 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. And, above all, it is an injustice to the dream of an empowered Odisha that has the confidence and resources to determine its own future,” said the veteran leader.

Appealing to their conscience, Mr. Patnaik called on BJP MPs to advocate for the reversal of the MMDR Act amendment, citing its negative impact on Odisha’s future.

“History remembers and honours those who raise their voice when injustice is done to their people and its resources. History will judge you not by the party you stood with, but by whether you stood up for Odisha when it mattered most. 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,” said the five-time CM in the letter.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.