Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged all BJP MPs from the state to reconsider their support for the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, saying it would have adverse implications for the state.
In his letter addressed to the BJP MPs, the Biju Janata Dal president described August 13, when the MMDR Amendment Bill was passed in Lok Sabha, as a “black day for Odisha”.
He said the legislation was passed with less than 10 minutes of discussion despite its significant implications for the state. “This was not an ordinary piece of legislation. Odisha will be the worst affected by this legislation,” the former chief minister said.
Highlighting Odisha’s contribution to India’s mineral economy, he said the state accounts for nearly 44 per cent of the country’s mineral wealth. Odisha’s mineral resources have, for decades, contributed significantly to the development of India’s steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.
Alleging that the amendment would result in an estimated annual loss of more than Rs 12,000 crore to Odisha, Naveen said it could translate into losses running into lakhs of crores of rupees over time.
Apart from the financial impact, the “bigger loss” would be the alleged dilution of the state government’s control over minerals and mineral-bearing lands, the BJD chief said. “And this happened under your watch,” Naveen told BJP Mps in his letter.
Voicing concern over the interests of Odisha’s youth and future generations, Naveen claimed the legislation would adversely affect people who bear the consequences of mining, including pollution, displacement, environmental degradation and other associated hardships.
The amendment amounted to an injustice to the vision of an “empowered Odisha” capable of determining its own future through the responsible use of its natural resources, he said.
Appealing to the BJP MPs to “listen to your conscience”, the ex-CM urged them to support efforts to challenge and seek a reversal of the amendments to the MMDR Act, particularly provisions that he alleged would take away powers of the state government.
“History will judge you not by the party you stood with, but by whether you stood up for Odisha when it mattered most,” the BJD supremo said in his appeal to the MPs.
Stating that the BJP MPs were at a “historic juncture,” Naveen said they had a choice to stand up for Odisha and fight for the interests of the people who elected them to the Lok Sabha. “I leave it to your judgment,” he added.