Naveen Patnaik vows to fight MMDR Act ‘till last breath’, urges Odisha to unite against law

Bhubaneswar: BJD chief Naveen Patnaik on Monday said he would fight against the MMDR Act "till his last breath" to "safeguard the future of Gen Z".

Addressing a BJD rally outside the Odisha Assembly demanding repeal of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, he called upon people of the state and political parties to jointly oppose the new mining law, which he said "snatches away the rights of the state".

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"This new legislation seeks to snatch the state's rights over its land and resources. Therefore, I will fight against the MMDR Act until my last breath," Patnaik, a five-time former chief minister, said.

Addressing his first public meeting in Bhubaneswar since the 2024 elections, Patnaik claimed that Odisha would lose crores of rupees in revenue following implementation of the new mining law.

"I call upon all, including political parties, to join hands and oppose the MMDR Act for the future of our Gen Z. Odisha’s future generations will not forgive us if we do not fight against this law which takes away our legitimate rights," he said.

The BJD president criticised BJP MPs from the state for allegedly remaining silent in Parliament when the MMDR Amendment Bill was passed in August.

"Why are Odisha’s BJP government and the 20-odd party MPs silent while the state stands to lose thousands of crores of rupees annually due to this Act?" he asked.

Patnaik said the MMDR Act was "no ordinary piece of legislation" and was deeply linked to the rights of the state.

"The people of Odisha are the rightful owners of the state’s minerals and land. It is unfortunate that such a crucial bill was passed in Parliament without any discussion. To serve whose interests did the 20 BJP MPs from the state remain silent?" he asked.

"The Odisha government also remained silent… Out of fear of whom?" he added.

Referring to his letters to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over the MMDR Act after its passage in Parliament, Patnaik said he had written to him twice, urging him to convene a special session of the Assembly to oppose the law and pass a unanimous resolution against it.

"But, I received no response from the chief minister. I was also surprised that there was no reply to my letters written to the 20 MPs," he said.

Patnaik had also written to Odisha BJP MPs on August 29, urging them to call for reversal of the new mining law, saying the changes would curtail the state’s powers to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land.

"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," he had said in the letter.

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The Leader of Opposition also criticised the BJP government in the state, which replaced his government after 24 years, describing the Majhi administration as a "government of denials" and "masters of empty rhetoric".

Patnaik said the state would suffer an annual loss of thousands of crores of rupees due to the MMDR amendment and described it as "anti-Odisha".

Calling the government’s silence an "anti-Odisha stance", Patnaik said, "A political party can never be greater than the land itself."

"Power may come and go, but betraying this land invites eternal condemnation. I warn all that neither Gen Z nor the people of Odisha would forgive such actions. I call upon everyone to resolve to prevent the implementation of the MMDR Amendment Act in the state," he said.

Thousands of people, including students, youths, women, tribals, Dalits and farmers from various parts of the state, participated in the rally.

Senior BJD leaders, including senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra, deputy leader of opposition in the Odisha Assembly Prasanna Acharya, opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik and former bureaucrat-turned-politician Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, addressed the gathering and opposed what they described as the "injustice" done to Odisha through the MMDR Act, demanding its withdrawal.

Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in August. The legislation seeks to restrict states' powers to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands.