Naveen Patnaik Leads Massive BJD Protest Against New Mining Law in Odisha

Thousands of people, mostly dressed in white, gathered outside the Odisha Assembly on Monday in a show of strength by the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) against the recently passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026. The crowd, mobilised from across the state since morning, erupted in applause and raised slogans of "Naveen Patnaik Zindabad" as BJD president Naveen Patnaik arrived at the dais around noon.

The protest marked the first demonstration of such scale by the party since the Bharatiya Janata Party ended its 24-year rule in the state in 2024. Addressing the rally on Mahatma Gandhi road, Patnaik called for a united fight against the Act, which he said would cause a loss worth thousands of crores to the state every year. He argued that the law is not an ordinary Bill but is tied to the rights of the state, and criticised its passage in Parliament without discussion.

"In whose interest did the 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Odisha remain silent? The state government remained silent. Whom do they fear?" Patnaik asked. He said the people of Odisha are the rightful owners of its mines and land, and accused the state government of doing little beyond making speeches. Patnaik said he had written twice to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi—seeking a special session of the Assembly and a resolution against the new mining law—but received no response.

In his sharpest attack yet on the BJP regime in Odisha, the 79-year-old leader warned that no party can be greater than the motherland. "The chair of power you hold today may not be there tomorrow. But if you betray this land, you will face condemnation forever. Gen Z will never forgive you," he said. Reviving his regional pitch, Patnaik vowed to fight for Odisha "till his last breath".

The protest was triggered by a new clause in the law that prohibits mineral-bearing states from levying taxes on mining lease holders, even though the Supreme Court in July 2024 empowered them to levy taxes and collect arrears from April 2005. While the Odisha government said it is yet to assess the impact of the new law, various political parties claimed the state would suffer a loss of Rs 1 lakh crore in arrears and additional annual revenue of Rs 12,000 crore from the mining sector.

BJD sources said the party will frame the issue as a "Centre vs regional interest" battle to target the BJP, which is in power both in the state and at the Centre, and will carry the protests to streets across Odisha. Among those who drew attention was Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of former bureaucrat and ex-CM's close aide VK Pandian, who joined the BJD in June. She said that by supporting the law, the BJP MPs and the state government had returned funds that had come knocking at Odisha's door, and that the Act proved the remote control of the state government lies with the central leadership. Several other BJD leaders, MLAs and former legislators also spoke, including Bijay Nayak from Jajpur, who said Odisha should have rights over its land and minerals.

INDIA bloc parties have called for a massive demonstration against the new law on Tuesday.