Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik stated on Wednesday that Odisha’s economy was “in danger” and urged citizens to unite against the new mining legislation, which he claimed was designed to undermine the state’s financial interests.
In a video message addressed to the public, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly alleged that a “dangerous conspiracy” was underway to weaken Odisha’s economy and impoverish its people.
Patnaik’s comments were made in reaction to the recently enacted Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which was passed by Parliament.
“This (new mining law) is going to harm the state and its people. But the central government passed such an important amendment bill without any discussion. Only the BJD MPs opposed it in the Rajya Sabha,” Patnaik stated.
He mentioned that he had written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressing opposition to the legislation, requesting him to convene an all-party meeting as well as a special Assembly session to debate on the new mining law.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, asserted that Odisha would suffer no revenue loss under the recently passed MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026, maintaining that the state would instead benefit from an increasingly competitive mining landscape.
Stressing that “no one is greater than the interests of Odisha and its people,” the former chief minister remarked, “We have to come together today for the interests of the land, not the party. The MMDR amendment bill has ended our rights over our mines.”
Patnaik highlighted that Odisha holds India’s largest reserves of bauxite, iron ore, chromite, coal, and manganese, alleging that the amendment had effectively stripped the state of authority over its mineral wealth.
“Why can’t we collect tax from our mines for the welfare of our people? Our people will suffer from dust and smoke. But the Delhi ‘darbar’ will be rich in our wealth. We will not let this happen,” he said.
“This land is ours. This mine is ours. I will fight to protect our rights. My fight for the rights of Odisha and its people will continue till my last breath. I request the people to join this fight,” Patnaik said.
The BJD chief claimed that during his tenure from 2000 to 2024, he safeguarded the state’s autonomy regardless of which political party held power at the Centre.
“No one dared to harm the rights of Odisha. However, you (people) changed in 2024 and brought in a new BJP government. But everything changed in just two years. Odisha will have to depend on the mercy of the Centre now,” he said.
Patnaik also targeted Odisha’s BJP parliamentarians, pointing out that the state elected 20 BJP members to the Lok Sabha in 2024. “But no one opened their mouths for this land. They failed miserably in discharging their duties towards the state and its interests. Only BJD strongly opposed this amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha,” he said.
Recalling his father and former chief minister Biju Patnaik’s emphasis on state financial independence, Patnaik claimed the new statutory framework would sharply curtail Odisha’s tax earnings.
“Every year the state will suffer a loss of thousands of crores of rupees,” he said.
Patnaik emphasized that revenue generated from the mining sevtor had directly funded schools, healthcare facilities, roads, bridges, and power infrastructure throughout the state.
The former chief minister asserted that the people of Odisha would not tolerate the “terrible conspiracy” that he alleged was continuing to weaken the state.
Recalling the days when he took over office in 2000, Patnaik noted that Odisha was in severe financial distress and heavily reliant on overdrafts to function.
“However, when the government changed in 2024, we had left a surplus revenue of Rs 50,000 crore. This was possible due to our strong fiscal management. We were able to bring speedy progress with a revenue surplus state. Poverty had decreased. Mining tax played a major role in this rapid development,” he said.
Opposition parties including the Congress and Left groups have also voiced opposition to the new mining legislation and signalled plans to launch protests against the central government.
Rejecting Patnaik’s allegations, Odisha BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal maintained that the revised legal framework would ultimately serve the state’s economic interests.
Biswal pointed out that while Odisha collected roughly Rs 5,000 crore in mining royalties in 2013 under the Congress-led UPA government, royalty revenues surged to approximately Rs 48,000 crore annually following the NDA’s 2015 amendments to the MMDR Act.
“The state received windfall gains due to the auction of mineral resources in a transparent manner, which was not possible earlier during the Congress rule,” he said.
