MMDR Amendment Act: BJD Calls Mass Protest as Opposition Uproar Disrupts Assembly

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has appealed to the people of Odisha to join its mass protest at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar today, September 28, demanding repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026.

BJD spokesperson and media coordinator Lenin Mohanty alleged that the amendment takes away the rights of states over mines and mineral-bearing land and is against Odisha’s interests. Citing the Supreme Court’s July 25 order allowing states to levy taxes and recover dues retrospectively from 2005, he claimed Odisha could have received around ₹1 lakh crore in arrears and ₹12,000 crore in additional revenue, an opportunity he alleged was undermined by the amendment.

The protest will begin at 10 am and will be addressed by BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The party had earlier announced a statewide agitation and economic blockade over the issue.

The MMDR Amendment Act has also triggered repeated protests inside the Odisha Assembly, with Opposition members from the BJD and Congress raising slogans and disrupting proceedings. The House was adjourned on Monday amid protests near the Speaker’s podium.

The Congress led INDIA bloc is scheduled to stage an Assembly gherao in Bhubaneswar on September 29, intensifying the Opposition’s agitation against the amendment.