Bhubaneswar: BJD chief Naveen Patnaik Saturday urged Odisha BJP MPs to call for the reversal of amendments to the MMDR Act, saying the changes would curtail the state’s powers to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land.
Patnaik, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, appealed to the saffron party MPs to safeguard the interests of the people who elected them to Parliament.
I earnestly appeal to you (BJP MPs) to listen to your conscience and think about the future generations of Odisha. I appeal to you to challenge and call for a reversal of the amendment made in the MMDR Act that takes away the powers of the state government, Patnaik said in the letter to the MPs.
Hours after receiving the letter, Sambalpur MP and former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan hit back at Patnaik, saying BJP MPs had voted in favour of the MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026, in the larger interest of the state and its people, particularly the youth.
He accused Patnaik of misleading people by concealing facts and spreading unfounded fear.
I request you to see beyond your partisan prism and support the historic MMDR legislation that guarantees the state’s industrial and economic growth while securing long-term employment for our youth, Pradhan said.
In his letter, Patnaik referred to August 13, when the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, was passed by the Lok Sabha with the support of Odisha’s BJP MPs, and termed it a black day for the state.
Describing MPs as the voice of Odisha in Parliament, Patnaik said the people had elected them to protect their interests.
The people of Odisha elected you in good faith to protect their interests. It is therefore a matter of utmost concern that you voted in favour of one of the most arbitrary legislations that will have far-reaching adverse implications for the state’s people who put their trust in you, he said.
Patnaik claimed the Bill was passed with less than ten minutes of discussion in the Lok Sabha despite having provisions with far-reaching implications.
This was not an ordinary piece of legislation, he said.
Patnaik had earlier written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi seeking a special session of the Assembly to deliberate on the amendments.
Apart from the financial implications, Patnaik said the bigger loss was that the legislation had taken away the state’s control 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. It is an injustice to the people who bear pollution, displacement, environmental degradation and the hazards and hardships of mining, Patnaik said.
History will judge you (BJP MPs) not by the party you stood with, but by whether you stood up for Odisha when it mattered most, Patnaik said.
You are standing at a historic juncture with a choice to stand and fight for the state and the people who sent you to the Lok Sabha with a mandate to protect their interests. I leave it to your judgement, he said.
Pradhan, in a post on X, questioned Patnaik’s objections to the legislation.
After reading the letter written by the leader of the opposition party of Odisha @Naveen_Odisha regarding the MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026, I am surprised, should we hide the truth and create false fear and mislead the people of Odisha Why are you hesitating to reveal the truth he said.
The MMDR Amendment Bill is a historic decision of the government of Prime Minister @narendramodi. With the new law, 90% of the mining revenue will go directly to the state treasury, which will promote economic growth, infrastructure development and safeguard state revenue and protect the citizens from inflation, he said.
He also claimed that mining revenue in Odisha had increased from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore under the Modi government due to its clean e-auction policy.
Pradhan said more than Rs 37,000 crore had been received since 2015 for the development of mining-affected areas in the state through the District Mineral Foundation (DMF).
He said Odisha MPs had supported the Bill in Parliament in the interests of the state, industrial growth and employment opportunities for the youth.
Opposition leaders should rise above partisanship and support the legislation, he said.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam said his party fully opposed the new mining law and was planning to launch an economic blockade in mineral-bearing districts, demanding withdrawal of the MMDR amendments.
Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 10 Rajya Sabha members. The BJP holds 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while the Congress has one. In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP and BJD have five members each.