Leaders of the INDIA bloc constituents took out a torchlight vigil and burnt effigies of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi alongside 20 other BJP MPs from the state during a demonstration against the MMDR Bill.
Representatives from Congress, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Forward Bloc, NCP, and SP gathered at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar on Monday to protest the state’s BJP lawmakers for “remaining silent” during the recent passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill in Parliament.
However, Odisha’s Steel and Mines Minister B B Jena defended the BJP-led governments at both the Centre and the state, accusing INDIA bloc leaders and the opposition BJD of “misleading” the public.
“The BJP, as a ruling party, never compromises with the interest of Odisha. In fact, the state has received huge amounts from the mining sector only because of reforms brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both the Congress and the BJD are misleading the people instead of presenting the facts,” the minister asserted.
On the other hand, the INDIA bloc leaders labelled the Bill “anti-Odisha” and “anti-tribal,” warning that it would strip the state of its rights over mineral-rich territories.
CPI(M) state secretary Suresh Panigrahy expressed concern that people of Odisha would bear the brunt of mining pollution while the economic rewards flow to corporate houses and central BJP leadership.
The demonstrators also strongly criticized Majhi for his “silence while the state suffers and loses its authority.”
During a press conference on Monday, Congress leader Debashish Patnaik asserted that Odisha stands to lose more than Rs 1 lakh crore following the execution of the revised mining rules.
“The state is not able to collect any arrears from the mining companies. If the outstanding mining tax is collected, the 4.5 crore Odias will get Rs 22,000 each,” he said.
In a separate press conference at Sankha Bhawan, BJD leaders Dibyashankar Mishra and Pranab Balabantray denounced the actions of the “double-engine government” as detrimental to the state’s welfare.
“The BJP government at the Centre has snatched away Odisha’s rights. The double-engine government continues to murder democracy by destabilising the federal system of governance and acting in a manner that is beneficial to mine owners and not the people,” the BJD said in a statement.
