Bhubaneswar: Escalating his attack on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday wrote to BJP MPs from Odisha, urging them to press for a reversal of the legislation, which he claimed would severely undermine the state’s rights over its mineral resources.The move comes days after Naveen, on Aug 14, wrote to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi seeking a special session of the assembly to adopt a resolution against the amendments.In his letter to the MPs, Naveen said their support for the Bill in Parliament amounted to a betrayal of Odisha’s interests.“The passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha with your support was a black day for Odisha,” Naveen wrote, alleging that the legislation was passed after less than 10 minutes of discussion despite its far-reaching implications.Claiming that Odisha would be the worst-affected state, Naveen noted that it accounts for nearly 44% of the country’s mineral wealth and has played a key role in the growth of India’s steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.Naveen has objected to amendments extending the Union’s regulatory ambit to “mineral-bearing lands”, arguing that it encroaches upon the state’s land and fiscal jurisdiction. He alleged that the amendments could result in an annual revenue loss of over Rs 12,000 crore to Odisha and gradually erode the state’s control over its mineral-bearing land and natural resources.Calling the law an injustice to Odisha’s youth and mining-affected communities, Naveen urged the MPs to “listen to their conscience” and seek reversal of the provisions that, according to him, curtail the powers of state govts.“History will judge you not by the party you stood with, but by whether you stood up for Odisha when it mattered most,” he said, adding that the MPs were at a historic juncture with a choice to defend the interests of the state and its people.The BJP has rejected the BJD’s allegations. Steel and Mines minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena earlier defended the amendments, saying Odisha would not suffer any loss of revenue because of the new law. He described the claims made by the BJD and Congress as “incorrect and misleading”.A day after Naveen issued a video message opposing the amendments on Aug 19, former Union minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan backed the legislation, asserting that it would neither hurt Odisha’s interests nor reduce its mining revenue. He accused Naveen of misleading the public by claiming that the amendments would weaken the state’s fiscal powers.
