BJD threatens statewide stir over MMDR Amendment, slams Odisha BJP MPs
Synopsis
The BJD is turning the MMDR Amendment Act into its first big street-level fight since losing power in 2024. With ₹1.5 lakh crore in potential arrears and ₹12,000 crore in annual revenue at stake, the party is framing Odisha's 25 BJP MPs — and CM Mohan Charan Majhi's silence — as a betrayal of the state's mineral rights.
Key Takeaways
BJD on 23 August threatened statewide protests over the MMDR Amendment Act passed by Parliament.
Party alleges the amendment overrides the Supreme Court's July 2024 nine-judge bench ruling upholding state rights over minerals.
Odisha could potentially recover around ₹1.5 lakh crore in arrears and ₹12,000 crore in additional annual mining revenue.
BJD attacked Odisha's 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs and 5 Rajya Sabha MPs for backing the Act.
Leaders questioned CM Mohan Charan Majhi's silence, contrasting Odisha with Jharkhand's revenue recovery moves.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday, 23 August sharpened its offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Parliament's passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, warning of statewide agitations to protect Odisha's mineral revenue rights. The Opposition party alleged that the amended law strips the mineral-rich state of its dues and shifts control to the Centre in favour of private mine owners.
Key allegations from the BJD
Addressing reporters at Sankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, former Minister and BJD Senior General Secretary Pritiranjan Gharai and Chandabali MLA Byomakesh Ray alleged that the amended Act effectively transfers Odisha's rightful revenue to Central control. Gharai described the BJP as a ‘party of businessmen' and challenged it to an ‘open debate' on the issue.
The Supreme Court backdrop
Gharai cited a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court which, in July 2024, held that states retain rights over mines and mineral-bearing lands and can impose levies and taxes on minerals. The bench also permitted states to recover outstanding taxes from mine owners with effect from 1 April 2005 — a ruling that could potentially unlock around ₹1.5 lakh crore in past arrears for Odisha, along with an estimated ₹12,000 crore in additional annual mining revenue.
Attack on Odisha's BJP MPs and CM Majhi
Gharai took aim at Odisha's 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs and five Rajya Sabha MPs, saying it was ‘a matter of great regret' that they voted in favour of the amendment. Ray questioned the silence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who hails from the mineral-rich Kendujhar district, alleging state leadership had failed to safeguard Odisha's resources.
‘It now appears that he was made the Chief Minister only to facilitate the looting of Odisha's mineral resources,' Ray said, contrasting the situation with neighbouring Jharkhand, which he claimed has moved to recover mining dues while Odisha has been unable to claim more than ₹1 lakh crore in outstanding revenue.
What comes next
Ray noted that BJD supremo and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has demanded a dedicated discussion on the issue in Parliament. The party has announced that mass agitations and protests will roll out across Odisha in the coming days, marking one of the BJD's most aggressive post-poll mobilisations since losing power in 2024.
Point of View
The party needed a state-versus-Centre plank that resonates in Odisha's mining belt — and this delivers it. The ₹1.5 lakh crore arrears figure is politically potent, but recovering it was always going to be a legal-administrative marathon, not a switch to flip. The real question is whether CM Majhi's government contests the Centre's framing or absorbs it — because silence, in a mineral state, tends to be read as consent.
NationPress
24 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MMDR Amendment Act that the BJD is protesting?
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act is a Central law recently passed by Parliament that the BJD alleges shifts revenue control over mineral resources from mineral-rich states like Odisha to the Centre. The party claims it dilutes the state's rightful dues in favour of private mine owners.
What did the Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling say about state mineral rights?
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in July 2024 held that states have rights over mines and mineral-bearing lands and can impose levies and taxes on minerals. The bench also allowed states to recover outstanding taxes from mine owners with effect from 1 April 2005.
How much revenue could Odisha potentially recover under the ruling?
According to figures cited by the BJD, Odisha could potentially recover around ₹1.5 lakh crore in past arrears and collect an estimated ₹12,000 crore in additional annual mining revenue. The party alleges the MMDR Amendment undermines this window.
Why has the BJD attacked CM Mohan Charan Majhi?
BJD MLA Byomakesh Ray questioned why Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who hails from the mineral-rich Kendujhar district, has remained silent on the amendment. He contrasted Odisha's inaction with Jharkhand's moves to recover mining dues.
What action has the BJD announced next?
The BJD has announced mass agitations and protests across Odisha in the coming days. Former CM Naveen Patnaik has also demanded a dedicated discussion on the issue in Parliament.
