Bhubaneswar: Odisha Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik has written to all BJP Lok Sabha MPs from the State, urging them to raise their voice against the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which he alleged would undermine the state’s control over its mineral resources.
In his letter, Patnaik appealed to the MPs to “listen to their conscience” and consider the interests of Odisha’s future generations. He urged them to challenge the amendments to the MMDR Act and demand their reversal.
Patnaik described the passage of the MMDR Bill in the Lok Sabha on August 13 as a “black day for Odisha”, alleging that the legislation was passed with less than 10 minutes of discussion despite its potentially far-reaching implications for the state.
The former Odisha Chief Minister said the state accounts for nearly 44 per cent of India’s mineral wealth and has contributed its resources for decades to the country’s steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.
He claimed that the amendment could result in an estimated annual loss of more than Rs 12,000 crore to Odisha, potentially amounting to lakhs of crores of rupees over the years. However, Patnaik said the larger concern was the alleged erosion of the state’s authority over its minerals and mineral-bearing land.
“This law is an injustice to the children and youth of Odisha, whose future is linked to the resources and opportunities of this State,” Patnaik said in the letter.
He also highlighted the environmental and social costs associated with mining, including pollution, displacement and environmental degradation, and argued that Odisha’s people should have a greater say in determining how the state’s mineral resources are utilised.
Patnaik further reminded the BJP MPs that they had been elected by the people of Odisha to represent and protect the state’s interests in Parliament.
He said history would remember those who raised their voice when injustice was done to their people and resources, adding that the MPs would ultimately be judged not by the political party they supported but by whether they “stood up for Odisha when it mattered most.”
The BJD president urged the MPs to use the opportunity to “stand and fight for the state and the people” who had sent them to the Lok Sabha with a mandate to protect their interests.
The letter marks a fresh escalation in the BJD’s opposition to the MMDR amendments and puts the Odisha BJP MPs under pressure to explain their position on the legislation.
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